Robbery
by silversurf4
Summary: A vicious string of robberies has Crews and Reese on endless nights of stakeouts when something goes horribly wrong. 21 Chapters in honor of S2 of Life - finished for now - not so much an end as a beginning.
1. Chapter 1 Stake Out

**Stake Out……**

It was a very long robbery surveillance….a very, very long series of nights on stake outs; days on end, of watching….and waiting…..for a gang to strike liquor stores that stayed open late or all night. Most of the time liquor store robberies were not tough cases because most stores had closed circuit cameras, but the stores in this area couldn't afford that. This was a depressed area of the city, most merchants could only afford a mock up of a camera and no video capture whatsoever.

The sidewalks were littered with cigarette butts, shards of glass from broken beer bottles and crack vials glittered like semi-precious stones on the ground. The stores themselves were covered in graffiti and bars covered the windows. Every telephone pole was papered with some advertisement for cheap cell phones, free condoms or some way to become a millionaire at home. It was depressing and at night sodium lights flickered casting everything in a sickly pinkish cast.

The crimes were vicious; the perpetrators merciless. They killed without compunction leaving no witnesses alive. The only lead they had was a crew of four men, they thought, dressed all in black, observed by a passerby, leaving one of the scenes in Barrack Obama masks. As a result they were looking for ghosts.

Everyone was strung out on caffeine and punchy from lack of sleep. All day long they worked leads on robberies. Pulling out all the stops before the media turned the story into a vigilante's dream, they were tracking down and interviewing priors where the perps wore masks, any robberies of area liquor stores, and all robberies where the MO was the perps killed everyone, but were getting nowhere. Reese wanted to shoot someone, perhaps even herself, she thought.

This was the third night she and Crews spent in the car.

Coffee cups and fast food wrappers littered the backseat floorboards. Thankfully most of what Crews brought to munch on was biodegradable and he dumped it out the window of the car, like apple cores or banana peels or the car would have smelt like a dumpster. It gave them a lot of time to talk, but Dani Reese was not a big talker

"What smells in here?" Dani said sniffing the air after rolling up her window to keep the A/C in.

"I think it's us" Charlie said chagrinned. After this long without sleep, Charlie had become even more nonsensical than usual. He'd run through every story he could think of from his three short years on patrol before his arrest and trial. Dani now knew more about Bobby Stark than she ever wanted to.

It was approaching 3AM and they both continued to talk just to stay vertical. The things they talked about ranged from the weather to locker room talk at the station, but they'd almost exhausted cop topics when Charlie broached the one he'd been avoiding for days.

"So…. What about the Bank of LA robbery?" he let the comment just hang between them.

"What about it?" Dani said non-committally "I was twelve, what would I know about it?"

Charlie turned in his seat and looked at her. He spoke her name in a long drawn out question "Reese…. Your father was the SWAT Team Leader. A SWAT Team that just happened to be on a training exercise less than a block from where the biggest robbery in the city's history went down and $18 million dollars vanished. I think you know more than you think."

"Do I now?" she said sharply and then after a few seconds - thinking aloud she said it again only this time softly almost inaudible "Do I?"

Charlie paused as the gears in her brain clicked and engaged. He could see her brow furrow trying to recall things that as twelve year old probably meant nothing to her, but now…. Well, now things that meant a lot to both of them.

He could see it the exactly moment when the piece fell into place for her, her brow eased from recollecting and a look of surprise crossed her face. She instantly realized that locked in the back of her mind was a detail that as a cop would have been glaringly apparent, but as a kid meant nothing.

"He came home with a bag. My mom was upset about all the shooting, but he was only concerned about his gear bag. Only thing is he never brought gear home before." She stopped for second. "Was that the money?" she asked herself quietly.

She shook her head and looked at Crews "did my father bring $18 million dollars to our house in a black SWAT gear bag?" Charlie just stared at her and shrugged. "Did he?" she asked again anxiously to no one in particular.

About that time four men rounded the corner, dressed in black, carrying messenger bags with masks in hand. They approached from behind their unmarked and had Charlie not been turned in his seat watching Dani, he'd have not detected them as they walked past on their way to another night of mayhem. _The rest of the surveillance unit must be checking their eyelids for holes_ Charlie thought _how the hell did they get that close?_

'Heads up" he said motioning behind her. Dani slunk in her sit and became incredibly still in the darkened car as the men passed within ten feet of her window. She eased her pistol from its holster and carefully locked a round into the chamber. "Say when" she told her partner in a tense whisper.

Charlie held his breath until they were well past Dani. At that range, based on the axiom "action beats reaction" had the bad guys made them - Dani would be dead before he could break leather. "Be still, Dani, just be still" he prayed aloud hoping his partner would not get impatient and crack her door before he thought they were far enough away for a decent stand off.

He balanced the threat to Dani - who would be exposed the minute she opened her door - with the distance to the liquor store. He watched her fingers curl around the door handle as he coached "wait for it". When Charlie thought the perps were just over half way between them and the store, Charlie said "let me go first" knowing full well she wouldn't.

He got the car door open just a fraction of a second before Dani had hers ajar and heard her announced "Police. Freeze" clearly and unequivocally. The next few moments occurred in slow motion as the men whirled, guns already in hand and Reese stood behind the door of the car with her pistol aimed at them. He and Dani fired simultaneously and the middle two men were spun by the impact of their initial volley and went down hard.

There's never any time in a gunfight when you are outnumbered two to one to figure out who is going to shoot whom, to plan, to rehearse, to discuss in committee. It seems to happen slowly, but in reality is all occurs in the blink of an eye. Two or three bullets struck the windshield and he saw the muzzle flashes from at least one of the perps as he got off a string of wild shots.

Charlie flinched as the mirror on his door exploded in a mixed of plastic and flying glass, thankful that his emerging from the car first had drawn most of their attention. He had the engine block and most of the car in front of him, shielding him from the 9mm bullets' bite. The glass in his window shattered and he felt the heat from a bullet grazing his right side, under his arm, like a rope burn across his rib cage. He winced and teared up but stayed focused on the threat.

Charlie fired again, his well placed shots slamming into the remaining perps. He emptied his magazine, as the incoming fire stopped and the remaining shooters went down. He looked down briefly, reloading and hearing his empty magazine clatter on the pavement. He moved forward cautiously, rounding the front of the car in a high cover position kicking guns away from the sprawling bodies on the sidewalk. The whole thing had taken less than 20 seconds.

He turned expecting to see Reese right behind him, but she was not. Charlie's heart leapt into his throat. She was still behind the door of the car, but her window glass was also gone. Charlie couldn't remember if her window was up or down when the shooting started and then remembered her rolling the window up. The darkened street made it hard to make out colors and he squinted at her trying to remember if dark shirt looked wet before this started.

He spoke to her "Reese" anxiously, then again "Reese" more excited still.

Dani's mouth moved but no sound came out. As Charlie watched, Dani's eyes rolled back and she fell to the pavement, alert and upright until the threat had passed. He blinked as he took in his partner sprawled on the sidewalk in the cubed safety glass from her window, still gripping her pistol, always the cop.


	2. Chapter 2 Stun Gun

**Stun Gun…..**

Charlie was in shock, he knew it - but he couldn't stop it from happening. He holstered his pistol, the bag guys forgotten, as the liquor store owner poked his head out of the store. He yelled "Call 911" at the man. But they were on a stake out, there should have been cops everywhere. _Why were they still all alone? Where was backup?_

Charlie knelt beside Dani who was gasping for breath, obviously struck in the chest, _how bad? _he wondered. He pulled his cell phone out, as he struggled to pull Dani into a sitting position braced against his chest. He ripped open her shirt feeling for her vest and breathing a sigh of relief when he found it.

"Come on Reese, you're gonna be okay" he coached her not aware he was speaking his concerns aloud. "You're gonna be fine, I got you" he whispered in her ear, as he felt under the vest and his hand came away wet with her blood. Okay, something got through - his brain processed. She tried to talk but no words would come and he could feel her heaving against his chest, drawing hard to get air, collapsed lung his brain told him.

"Sweetheart, I need you to focus. Help is coming. Reese can you hear me?" he asked hearing the fear in his own voice. Charlie willed himself to be calm. "You've got a collapsed lung, one must have gotten through the vest. I need you to try to be calm and breathe with me, slow and easy, honey. Just breathe for me Dani."

He talked to her, he was her lifeline. She needed to believe she could survive this.

"The ambulance in on the way. They are close. I just need you stay with me. Can you do that sweetheart? Stay with me Dani." He pleaded as he held her against him, feeling her struggle to breathe. He continued to talk more for himself than for her at this point. "You did good Dani, you did great." He stroked her hair and held her tiny frame against him, trying not to think about her blood oozing onto the pavement. "You got them all, Dani. You got them all."

The ambulance was coming, he could hear the siren, but it sounded so far away. "Christ, where are they? He thought. "Here they are now, honey, you're gonna be fine now. Just hold on Dani." He tried to convince her they were nearer than they sounded. "Hey, no passing out, you know I suck at paperwork." He joked, she tried to laugh, but only succeeded in coughing slightly as bloody bubbles frothed at her mouth.

Dani's breathing became more labored and she released her pistol and reached blindly for Charlie's hand. Her eyes fluttered shut and she limp against him. He held her and out of things to say simply told her his voice breaking as the tears came "don't leave me Dani. I need you, don't you dare quit on me."

As the ambulance pulled to the curb, medics sprang from all orifices and Charlie went from no help to too much help in milliseconds; they raced to the sidewalk and pile of bodies there. In a loud voice, Charlie barked angrily "not them, help her, help my partner". The medics looked conflicted when Charlie barked again "help her now" spurring them to action.

They took her away from him and he felt suddenly cool where she'd been against his body. Under the pink sodium lights he could see a dark stain on the sidewalk, so much blood. He said a prayer as he suddenly became obsolete, neither a policeman nor a medic at this point, simply a man willing his partner to hold on a little longer. As they loaded Dani into the ambulance, the lethargic backup units arrived and began to ask millions of questions, crime scene tape went up, CSIs poured in and red and blue flashing lights replaced the pink.

Charlie still dazed stepped over the men on the pavement reaching for one of the masks and realized one of the men was still breathing. He gurgled blood and Charlie simply placed a foot on the man's back and held him still until the man stopped struggling. Killing was too good for the man who shot Reese, but it helped fill the darkness that inhabited Charlie at that moment.

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Captain Kevin Tidwell was awakened by his cell phone in the middle of the night and that was never a good thing. Nothing good ever came from a middle of the night call. This time it was dispatch telling him the robbery surveillance had engaged the suspects and there were four civilian bad guys and one officer down.

"Who?" he questioned, looking at the empty bed beside him. "Which officer?"

They didn't know which officer was hit, but the officer was enroute to Cedar's Sinai Trauma Unit. Tidwell terminated the call and rang Dani's phone immediately. It rang endlessly before going to her terse voice mail message. He'd begged her to change it to something more friendly but he listened as her voice came through the phone to him "Uh… this is Dani Reese. Leave a message." He didn't, but he said a prayer as he dressed in the dark and grabbed his own badge and gun on the way out the door.

In the car, Tidwell called Crews' cell. Charlie answered on the second ring. 'Crews' he pronounced. "Where's Dani?" Tidwell said with no introduction, no pleasantries. "I…she….I let her get hurt….she's hurt" Crews stumbled through Tidwell's worst fears.

"Where are you?" Tidwell asked.

"I'm here" Crews said still in shock. Tidwell bit back the frustration and asked again a better question "Detective, are you with her?"

"No" he said sounding lost "They wouldn't let me go with her. I'm at the scene." Crews said Tidwell's use of his title bringing Crews back to reality.

"Stay there I'm coming to you." Tidwell said as the line went dead.

Tidwell pulled to the curb two blocks away, as close as he could get. This was an officer involved shooting and therefore the cordon was much further away the scene to keep the press out. He shambled along the sidewalk, under the yellow crime scene tape. Marked units ringed the scene, red and blue lights bounced off buildings and strobed quickly hurting his eyes, while he searched for the tall detective with red hair. "Crews" he shouted as soon as he caught site of him.

Crews turned, his suit jacket hanging open and his white dress shirt covered in blood from his armpits to his groin, soaked through. "Jesus Crews, get yourself looked at" shocked at the amount of blood on Crews.

Crews paled and swallowed hard "It's not my blood – it's hers, it's Dani's." He plucked at his shirt his fingers red with the blood of Dani Reese. Charlie's eyes brimmed with unshed tears and Tidwell simply nodded unable to say anything.

He wanted to say a million things. He wanted to ask what happened, how Crews had let her get shot, why he wasn't with her, but one look at Crews and Tidwell knew there was nothing the man could say. Crews stared out at the darkness, holding himself upright and biting back his tears. Crews was beating back his own fears for Reese through sheer force of will.

Kevin Tidwell was not unintelligent. He knew Dani loved Charlie Crews even if she had yet to realize it. He also knew that Charlie Crews was head over heels for his younger partner. He saw the way Crews sought to protect her, his fierceness, relentlessness and unwillingness to accept failure when Roman had taken her. Crews succeeded in finding Reese and saving her when the rest of the department couldn't find their ass with both hands and a flashlight.

Tidwell knew he was fighting an uphill battle hanging onto Dani and that eventually the two of them would recognize what he already saw. They would fit together despite all their broken parts like they were made to, but until then - Dani was his and he cherished every moment with her.

"Crews" he said softly "let's go to the hospital. Take that shirt off and let some one bag it." As a nearby CSI tech moved to take Crews' clothes, he shed his jacket and unbuttoned the shirt cuffs and shirt front in a daze. She motioned for the t-shirt too and he winced as he pulled the white t-shirt soaked in his and his partner's co-mingled blood from his body. There was a dark furrow of drying blood along his ribcage under his arm where a bullet grazed his right side

"Crews, you're hit." Tidwell told him.

"I'm fine." He said stiffly as he pulled his suit jacket back on. He looked ridiculous in a suit with no shirt, but Charlie Crews clearly didn't care.

"Where's Dani?" he looked right through Tidwell.

"Come on." Kevin said "My car's this way."


	3. Chapter 3 Trauma

**Trauma……..**

Dani was already in surgery, when Tidwell and Crews arrived at Cedar's. She had a "through and through" gunshot wound that penetrated her department issue "bulletproof vest", which Charlie was holding to his chest in the OR waiting room. All they really knew was the bullet perforated her left lower lung, collapsing it and on top of that she'd lost a helluva lot of blood. Crews was dazed, but sat eerily still, as Tidwell left to make the drive to wake up and notify Dani's mother. Tidwell told Crews where he was going and Crews nodded, but Tidwell was not certain if Crews even really heard him.

As the Captain it fell to Tidwell to notify family members when his officers were injured or killed. He was praying "injured" was as bad as it got tonight. Kevin Tidwell was trying hard to maintain the veneer of Captain and not let the man seep through, but it was a struggle. He bit his lip and told himself she's gonna be okay, before punching his roof a few times, straightening his tie and starting the long drive on darkened quiet streets. This was the first one of these notifications he'd done since reaching sunny California and it hit very close to home. He bit his nails continuously on the drive to the Reese home and found his mouth dry as bone as he walked to the front door.

He rang the doorbell of Dani's parent's home at 0545hrs. A tired woman in a bathrobe answered the door, after turning on the porch light to illuminate Kevin Tidwell standing there holding his badge, she swept the curtain aside, saw the badge and quickly unbolted the door and asked "Jack?". He shook his head and heard her gasp "Dani?" He nodded and quickly added "she's been shot, she's in surgery, but she'd holding her own." She nodded and opened the door to let him in. "I've come to take you to the hospital Mrs. Reese, I'm Kevin Tidwell… Dani's…." he reached for a word to describe what he was to her daughter and decided upon…. "Captain".

If Dani had not told her mother about them, this was not the time.

He sat awkwardly on the couch in the dark and silent living room, listening to the ticking of a wall clock for a few minutes before he got up and began to examine the pictures on the mantle; Dani in the police uniform from the Academy, Dani on a pony when she was about six, Dani with a gap toothed grin at about ten in a softball uniform on her father's shoulders. Jack and Roya Reese lived their whole lives in this same house and Dani was their only child, she was everything to them. Tidwell knew how they felt.

When Roya Reese emerged, she was collected and dressed, Kevin was struck how much Dani favored her mother. "I am ready" she pronounced. _Yep, classic Dani Reese, that's where it came from_ he thought.

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Charlie replayed the shooting over and over in his head. _How did he miss her getting hit?_ His eyes squeezed shut and hands against his temple, Dani's vest now rested on the chair behind him as he sat bent over with his head in his hands. Each time the door opened or closed Charlie looked up expectantly but it was nothing, people coming and going, but never any news. _It had been hours - hadn't it? What the hell was taking so long?_

The door finally opened to reveal Tidwell and a small dark haired woman who Charlie instantly recognized as Dani's mother. It was like looking into Dani's future thirty years and seeing how she would age. It was gracefully; the woman before him was beautiful with fine features and sympathetic eyes.

"Crews, this is…" Tidwell started.

"Dani's mother" Crews finished. "Ma'am, I'm Charlie Crews. Your daughter's partner."

"Of course, I know who you are Mr Crews" Roya regarded him coolly. They were the exact same words Jack Reese spoke to him when Dani introduced them – right before Carl Ames funeral. "Dani and her father fought over you. She believes in you and trusts you completely and my daughter does not give her trust easily." She stated with the same bluntness as her daughter.

Charlie looked away, ashamed he had allowed his partner to be hurt. "I know this probably doesn't mean much, but I wish it was me in there instead of her. I'd do anything in the world for her." He said to his shoes.

"I know Mr Crews… and so does she" Roya Reese pronounced.

Charlie looked up at her and saw Dani's shy smile in her features. "She looks just like you" he thought not realizing he'd said it too.

"I know that too Mr Crews". She demurred.

"Please no one calls me that. It's just Charlie." He said instantly as smitten with Roya Reese just as he was her daughter. "Would you like to sit down?" he offered.

"What do we know?" Tidwell asked gently.

"Nothing, they've said nothing. How long has it been now?" Charlie said shakily.

They sat in relative silence, each person alone with their thoughts. Tidwell visited the hospital cafeteria, finding it closed, but located a vending machine and returned juggling three paper cups of lukewarm coffee.

"Dani wouldn't drink this" Charlie pronounced staring into the cup. The long hours, little sleep and recent stress left him frayed around the edges and saying things he normally wouldn't say to anyone but Dani.

Her mother snorted a short laugh. Another thing Dani inherited from her mother he thought.

"She doesn't drink coffee unless you can stand the spoon up in it." He said fondly remembering their last altercation over what would be acceptable as coffee the night before.

"This she gets from her father" Roya said smiling quietly remembering. "They are more alike in temperament than either of them would like to admit" she shared. "It is why they argue so much I think" she volunteered. "Dani was so close to her father when she was little" she continued. Both Crews and Tidwell listened in rapt attention as they gained some small insight into their shared interest in Dani Reese.

"What changed?" Tidwell asked when Roya did not continue.

"Jack" Roya said as darkness edged into her voice. Charlie recognized the same tone in Dani's when something uncomfortable or personal surfaced.

The doors swung open and a grim faced surgeon in green scrubs marred with blood emerged. Charlie wondered if it was Dani's blood and looked down at his bare chest, missing his shirt. They all rose and looked at the surgeon expectantly.

"She's out of surgery and stable. We repaired the damage and her lung is functioning again. She lost a lot of blood and she's still very weak, but I believe she'll make a full recovery. She's tough, a real fighter, but we can't get her to stay asleep and to remain still, which she really needs to do - to rest." He finished.

Tidwell hugged the man, Roya released a shuddered sigh and Charlie stood stock still as the tears he'd been holding back rolling down his face and alternately clinched and released his fists.

"I'm her mother. May I see her?" Roya asked crying slightly, but ever the stalwart soul she would not show pain if she could avoid it. She was elegant, poised and graceful. Strong as iron._ Dani I see you_ Charlie thought as he watched her mother.

"Yes, of course. She's in Recovery, I'll take you." The surgeon said steering Roya by the elbow towards the doors. "Which one of you two is Crews?"

Charlie held up a hand, unable to speak. "She's asking for you" He blinked back tears as Roya reached her hand out to him "Come with me, Charlie." As Charlie put his cold hand into hers, he noticed how warm she was, _just like Dani always warm_ he thought.

Dani's mother drew him along with her along the white, cold corridors of the hospital and stopped when balked at the foot of her bed. Charlie froze and couldn't move as he observed Dani. She looked so small and pale surrounded by machines with tubes and electrodes connected to her body. "She needs you to be strong….for her" Roya prompted him to approach her daughter.

Dani thrashed and mumbled, sending the machines into a wild riot of sound. Charlie dropped Roya's hand and was instantly at Dani's side. Most of what she said was unintelligible but for one word, which Charlie recognized – his name – Dani said it as she breathed out, just as she had in the orange grove that day, like a plea, "Crews".

He dropped to his knees beside her and smoothed her hair back from her forehead. He spoke to her in a voice barely over a whisper "It's okay, honey. You're safe, shhh" and as the frantic nurses watched - Dani stilled and her rhythms returned to safe levels.

"It's okay, sweetheart, you're gonna be fine" he continued talking to her – the rest of the world forgotten.

Roya watched as Charlie Crews sunk to his knees and saw the immediate effect his voice and touch had on her troubled daughter. She knew Dani did not permit many people inside the high walls she'd built to hold the world at bay, but this man was one in whom Dani had absolute faith and trust. Roya also knew Dani before those walls went up; she'd seen her stubborn daughter through skinned knees, first dates and adult traumas like her disastrous undercover experience and first loves.

Roya knew both sides of Dani, the naïve young girl who smiled easily and lived life fully, the one who existed before the traumas that life brings shaped her into the tough, distant, battle hardened police officer her daughter was now and so did the man kneeling beside her daughter. He knew and loved her daughter, instinctively sensing the delicate side of Dani - hidden under the layers of protective devices she'd built. This man cherished her daughter and despite her husband's objections, Roya found she liked Charlie Crews and what's more she liked the idea of him with her daughter.

Roya never met Charlie Crews before the day she first laid eyes on the tall, thin man with red rimmed eyes, greenish eyes and a shock of red hair in the OR waiting room that night, but she knew him instantly from Dani's description of him. She also knew Crews saved Dani from Roman Nevikov and the pointed discussion they'd had about it left her with the distinct impression that her daughter's faith in Crews was unshakeable. And there just weren't that many things Dani still believed in.

Her daughter confided in her the fear she'd felt during her captivity, along with Nevikov's boast that he'd killed Jack Reese, which neither woman believed. They both suspected Jack was too tough and too stubborn to die. Beyond that Dani confided that she knew Crews would come for her, that she was certain of his ability to find her and that he would find her or die trying and it was the second option that truly frightened Dani. The prospect of losing Crews troubled her more than the threat to her own life and while Dani wrestled with what that meant – her mother knew.

Dani loved her partner with a deep abiding love – one that lasted through pain, hardship and which would sustain them through a lifetime. What she was unsure of was Charlie Crews' level of commitment to her daughter, but that she questioned no more. He whispered soothing things to her daughter, unaware of his use of endearments, completely unable to mask his love for her in her constant state of distress. Crews' effect on her was immediate and apparent to everyone in the room. With Crews present, she relaxed and became calm and Dani generally didn't do calm. She again mumbled his name "Crews", this time she was not calling for him, but was content that he was present.

Dani fumbled, reaching and Charlie grasped her hand "you're in the hospital, you've been shot, but you're gonna be okay… Dani". Her eyes fluttered open, she tried hard to wake. "Honey, stop fighting. You're safe, I'm here. I won't let anyone hurt you, sweetheart, but I need you to sleep."

Dani fought to stay awake, she focused on Crews and slurred a series of words meant only for him but the room was so quiet Roya heard her plea "don't leave me, Crews". It is usually a painful thing for a parent when their child no longer wants them, to watch them play, to kiss them good night, to sooth them when injured. Each step was a step away from them and on to adulthood, but this step was away from her mother and toward her mate.

Roya was not disappointed when her daughter wanted someone besides her now. She knew Dani needed Charlie Crews close and feared being without him and for once Dani was not afraid to say so. Roya smiled as Charlie spoke the words that let Dani go back to sleep "I'll never leave you sweetheart. You're stuck with me."


	4. Chapter 4 Sand Man

**Sand Man……**

As the early morning gave way to hotter part of the day, Kevin Tidwell's duties forced him away from the hospital. Other than a short trip to the ICU, after Dani was transferred out of Recovery he really hadn't had much of a chance to see her. Tidwell viewed this as a good thing, because seeing Dani lying there weakened made it hard to remain her Captain and not be the man sharing her bed three or more times a week.

Part of him resented she'd asked for Crews, but then his brain told him _he's her partner, they were in this gunfight together it's only natural_. He didn't want to think about the alternative. Because the alternative was she was drifting away from him already and recognizing her link to Crews was more than just work.

But as a tired, bloodied and shirtless Charlie Crews stood by Reese's side, holding her hand and whispering unnoted endearments in his sentences, Tidwell accepted the fact Crews crossed the invisible line in the sand. Crews was clearly and unequivocally committed – even if he'd never consciously decided to do it – his heart made the leap for him in those seconds after Dani had fallen.

Part of Tidwell was jealous wanting to warn Crews off, she was his girl. But then Tidwell considered that Crews already knew about Dani and himself, though they'd "not" talked about it in that distinctively male way - many times before. Crews could no more control his reaction than he could stop the sun from rising in the sky each day, _Dani Reese could do that to a guy_ he thought.

Part of him viewed this as inevitable, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt, so he turned to his escape - work and buried himself in the questions and chaos to be controlled there. His personal life at this point was out of his hands.

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Charlie was struggling to stay awake. He would not break his promise to Dani and leave the hospital to get some rest, despite Tidwell's direct order to do just that. Roya watched as Crews' eyes which were full of tears earlier, now seemed full of sand.

He nodded and blinked and shook his head furiously, drinking more coffee than a platoon of soldiers on a weekend exercise, but nothing was going to avoid the crash that was coming. Charlie tried talking to stay awake. It had worked in the car with Reese. "What was Dani like as a child?" he asked Roya.

"Why do you not ask her?" her mother responded answering a question with a question.

"I have" he confessed with a sigh and rubbed his eyes again "she just says 'smaller'"

Dani's mother laughed and he heard Reese's laughter there also. _Great I'm now hallucinating or whatever it was when you heard things that weren't there_ he thought.

"My daughter is difficult to get to know, but she is worth the effort" she told him.

"I know" Charlie smiled at her and then at her daughter, tossing fitfully as she slept. "It's just she seems so…." He couldn't finish the thought because he didn't know what…but something.

"Troubled" Roya supplied the word for him. Charlie nodded as he touched Dani's face and she stilled again.

"Why do you have no shirt with your suit?" Roya asked him.

Charlie looked down at himself. Three thousand dollar suit with no shirt, _not exactly they way you wanted to meet the in-laws_ he thought and his expression changed as he surprised himself. Did he see himself married to Dani? Maybe it was just what Bodner said about meeting his wife when they were partners. He stared down at Reese and realized it was more than the power of suggestion. He wanted her in a lifelong way and had for some time now.

"Detective…." Roya began, then realizing the toll the night had taken on the young man before her softly reconsidered "Charlie…. you too should rest."

"I'm not leaving her. I made her a promise." He said stubbornly.

"No one is asking you to break your promise. Stay with her, but rest." She gestured that he should put his head down like a six year old taking a nap, but suddenly Charlie thought it was an excellent idea.

He pulled his chair closer to the bed, interlaced his fingers with Dani's and rested his cheek on the bed beside her still sleeping form. It wasn't clear if he was asleep before his head hit the bed at Dani's side or instantaneously after, but sleep he did, soundly and for several hours.

When Dani woke again it was late afternoon and the LA sun turned the sky orange - shining through all the way to the ICU where she slept. She could feel it was late. She blinked several times and noticed her mother quietly reading in the corner of the room at the foot of her bed. She couldn't move her right arm and looked down to find it clasped in Crews' hand with his head by her side. She smiled at the long, tall, red haired figure sprawling half in and half out of his chair, but never leaving her side, just as he'd promised.

Her mother knew Dani was awake and spoke softly to her in Farsi. They talked of how long she'd been out and how long he'd been at her side, before Roya switched to English for effect. "This man loves you Dani. I haven't seen any man love you in the ways that he does."

"I know Mom." It was all Dani replied, before extracting her hand from Crews' and stroking his red hair. Her fingers buried in his hair, Dani bit her lip and finally continued with what she needed to say "I don't want to screw this up, he's important to me."

"Then don't Dani. But don't hold back either. You must give this man your whole heart and trust him not to break it. It is the way love works" her mother wise beyond Dani's years counseled.

Charlie stirred as Dani's fingers stroked his hair. He looked as if he'd been on a weekend bender, she thought. "God Crews you look like hell" she said hoarse from the surgical anesthesia.

"You look beautiful" he responded trying to smile. He was a wreck, his hair sticking out at odd angles, his face lined with worry and his face fuzzy from the time since it last communed with his razor. He'd really never looked better to her, she thought as Charlie smiled one of his genuine smiles that reached his eyes, which sparkled despite his tiredness.

"Where's your shirt Crews?" she wondered aloud, causing him to look down again at his bare chest. "Trying out the Miami Vice look?" she ribbed him. His eyes returned to hers and they both laughed softly.

He leaned forward caressed her face and kissed her gently. Dani was slightly shocked but as their lips parted she released a small contented sigh. Charlie stopped, brushed her lips again and whispered "don't you ever listen? I said let me go first… you never listen to me… why don't you ever listen to me?" as he fought the urge to kiss her again.

"Crews?" she questioned and when he stopped talking and opened his eyes continued "you're doing that thing again where you're talking to me, but you're not really talking to me" Charlie smiled slightly and gave into the urge to return his lips to hers. He kissed her slowly, gently, but deeply and with such tenderness, Roya felt like she was intruding.

He did not kiss her for long, but paused as they broke to visit her earlobe and whisper just for her "promise me, you won't ever scare me like that again?" before he pulled back and smoothed her hair.

"I promise" Roya heard her daughter give her word to the young man at her side as tears fell from the corners of her eyes and slid slowly along her temple to her hairline. Dani blinked as Charlie gently used his knuckle to wipe her tears away..

He held her hand and kissed it gently. Roya told them both that she would be sitting with Dani while Charlie went home to rest. At the pronouncement, Charlie shook his head and scowled his disapproval, but said nothing.

"Dani you must make him rest" she told her daughter in Farsi. Dani looked at him and took in the bedraggled and worn out appearance of her usually clean and neat partner.

"Crews…" she softly told him. "Go home, take a shower….buy a shirt" she smiled at him. "Sleep. I'll be okay here." He began to protest but she silenced him. "Remember how we smelled in the car?" He looked at himself sheepishly, sniffing his jacket.

"Bad?" he asked.

"You've smelled and looked better." Dani said smiling. "Mom's here and I'm not going anywhere for a couple days." She offered.

"I don't want to leave you" he began.

"You aren't leaving me are you? You're just taking a break…." When it was apparent he was not going for it, she added "Charlie, please. If you love me…" she paused for effect "shower" she kidded him.

Dani's use of the word "love" stopped Charlie in his tracks. He looked slightly stunned and had this goofy smile on his face. "What?" she asked.

"Math" he answered enigmatically, shaking his head ruefully. "One plus one"

Dani had no idea what he was talking about, but he didn't seem unhappy about whatever it meant. "You're a real nut job, Crews. You know that?" she repeated a favorite phrase of her father's, uttered when people did things Jack didn't understand.

Crews leaned over and kissed her forehead. Dani's hand moved unbidden to his face, encountering the fresh beard there "and shave" she told him. "Okay, honey, but only because you asked nicely" he said in a much huskier tone than she was used to.

"You want coffee when I come back?" knowing her Achilles heel. "I know this hospital stuff won't pass muster for you" he said buttoning his suit coat over his bare chest and straightening.

"You know what I like" she told him.

Her mother moved to her bedside as Charlie Crews left. Dani's expression saddened slightly as he moved away, she felt a tiny bit colder like when the sun goes behind a cloud in the winter.

"He'll be back" Roya said watching her daughter's expression.

Dani looked away embarrassed. "There is no shame in love" Roya told her. "You think you don't deserve it Dani, but you do. This man, despite your father's opinion of him is a good man and he loves you. You must not waste this chance."

"What do you think Dad will do when he finds out?" Dani bit her lip wondering her father's reaction to his daughter with Charlie Crews.

"He will be angry, but your father is always angry now" Roya said sadly.


	5. Chapter 5 Friction Points

**Friction Points……**

Kevin Tidwell was up to his armpits in alligators as the saying goes. He had four dead perps, an officer /girlfriend in ICU and Crews MIA. IAD was breathing down his neck hungry for any dirt whatsoever on Charlie Crews and despite the green eyed monster lurking deep within, something in Tidwell was not going to roll over on Crews. It looked like a good shoot to him and the brass could take a hike, but the paperwork, phone calls and media blitz were killing him.

As the phone rang for the eleventh time in seven minutes, Tidwell decided enough was enough he needed a break and knew just where he was going – to visit his favorite detective. He rolled down his sleeves, retucked his shirt, straightened his tie and examined himself in the rearview mirror of his car. Not bad – he concluded. The suit Dani insisted on him buying really did lift his appearance to a whole new level and he'd noticed several looks from the ladies in dispatch since acquiring the trendy new outfit.

He arrived at the hospital just after lunch and quietly slipped into the ICU with his badge obviously displayed on his belt and his jacket open. Roya looked up from her book and nodded to him. Tidwell whispered to her "how is she?"

"She is sleeping" Roya stated flatly. Both Reese women had the same talent for stating the obvious and making you feel like a dolt at the same time he concluded. He wanted to say, "Yeah I can see that" but bit his tongue and just approached Dani as she slumbered silently.

"Hey babe" he said holding Dani's hand. Dani's eyes fluttered open and she smiled at him. The smile on Tidwell's face was beatific, he positively beamed at her, making Dani laugh slightly. This was a side of things that surprised her mother. Dani had not one man smitten with her – there were two – this one Dani had not seen fit to mention to her mother. Roya's eyes narrowed as she examined the police Captain's apparent intimacy with her daughter.

"So….how's my favorite detective?" Tidwell joked with her.

Dani didn't answer right away, instead looking at her mother silently asking for space and privacy. Roya read the unspoken signal in her daughter's look and announced she was going to the cafeteria to get some lunch. Both Dani and her Captain looked appreciative when she excused herself, but Dani knew her mother's questions would be sharp upon her return.

"Dani" Tidwell began "I've been so worried, you scared the hell out of us" he looked at her sheepishly. He let the comment hang and then looked out the empty door after Roya "I guess you didn't have time to tell your mom about us" he continued in a questioning tone.

"There's nothing to tell" Dani said flatly, leaving Tidwell to think how blunt both Reese women could be. "I don't know what I would say."

"I see" Tidwell said sounding rather dejected.

Dani reached out to him "hey" she held his eyes. "Its just complicated with them. Everything in my life is complicated. Nothing is simple." She explained with a shy smile. He heard what he wanted to hear – hope. Hope that there was a future for them. It was just going to be hard. Anything worth having requires effort he thought and Dani Reese was definitely worth having in his life.

"I was gonna give Crews hell for letting you get shot, but I think he was as upset about it as I was" Tidwell admitted and watched Dani's eyes narrow at the insinuation her current hospitalization was due to a failure by her partner.

"Come on, you can't be mad at me for being mad at him. You got any idea how crazy it makes Tidwell to get one of those 3AM phone calls and it's about my girlfriend?" he pled with her. Dani relented and relaxed a bit, but she remained aloof and withdrawn.

"It wasn't Crews fault and I won't accept anyone blaming him for this." Dani stated in a tone that brooked no argument, her dark eyes glittering, still able to muster an angry look through the haze of pain killers he knew they were feeding her intravenously.

Tidwell went for the only acceptable response he could muster "OK, but you gotta know I was really worried about you babe." He said shyly, which was uncharacteristic for the usually brash man she knew and thought for awhile perhaps she loved.

"I asked you not to call me that" she arched an eyebrow at him.

"Sorry…" he said softly, but in the back of his brain a thought niggled at the things Crews whispered to her during his brief visit this morning. He wondered if Dani glowered at Crews when he used endearments too, while jealously peaked at him from behind the curtain of confidence he usually wore like a cape.

"Me too" Dani said squeezing his hand. "It's been a long week and I'm really tired. I'm sorry we scared you." He forgave her instantly and smiled at her softly.

"Okay, well I got a squad room full of anxious IAD types that want Crews' ass – so I have to get back to the precinct" he said announcing his departure.

"Station" she reminded him with a smile.

"When I take you to see New York, you'll see what I mean" he leaned down and kissed her gently, but when he pulled away something in her look made him feel like she was disconnected from him, slipping away although she was still right there next to him, his lips still warm from her kiss.

When he stepped from Dani's room, he instantly registered the presence of someone leaning against the wall outside her room and glanced over to find Roya Reese eyeing him with curiousity and what he was certain was disdain.

"You are not only Dani's Captain are you?" she asked directly.

"No ma'am. I'm not just her Captain." He admitted with his eyes on the floor. He looked up to find Dani's mother still examining him "I'm… well, I'm just hoping to have the chance to be much more to her…..but I guess that's up to her."

"Yes, it is" Roya said coolly. "It seems my daughter has more young men than she has time to explain to her mother". Tidwell wasn't certain if Roya was more pissed that she didn't know her daughter was dating her Captain or if she genuinely disliked him – but neither seemed good for him.

_Why did Crews have to be so god damned likeable? _he thought. Tidwell had to admit that even beat up, bloodied and dog tired Dani's partner inspired trust and confidence in people. The man could charm even the toughest of ladies and shyest of children with his smile and openness. It was hard not to like Charlie Crews, but Tidwell was beginning to genuinely dislike the man.

Dani tilted her head, closed her eyes and sighed at the ceiling. She waited for the confrontation that she knew was coming with her mother. They were close, they always had been. Dani could not hide much from her mother and the only way she could successfully keep anything from her was not to mention it at all. Kevin Tidwell was one of those things Dani didn't mention. When she opened her eyes and looked out in front of her, there stood Roya Reese with her arms folded and a stern look on her face. Dani felt like she was fifteen again and had flash of that same anger, but held back.

"What?" she asked her mother.

"Who is this man to you Dani?" Roya asked directly.

"He's my boss." Dani admitted the obvious "and sort of my boyfriend" she said closing her eyes and waiting for the lecture.

"I see" was all her mother said. Dani's eyes snapped open and she was speechless. He mother never avoided telling her when she was making a mistake and usually her mother was right.

"I don't know what the hell I was thinking…. I guess I wasn't thinking… he's really good to me and it's never affected our work" Dani rambled defending herself and Tidwell.

"Do you love him?" Roya asked with her finely honed penchant for directness laser focused on Dani.

Dani looked at her mother as if she'd never truly considered the question before that moment. "You're not going to lecture me? Tell me how I'd screwing up my life?" she said angrily.

"Only you know that" Roya responded somewhat regally, but it was what she said next that rocked Dani back on her heels "you must not compare your life to others, you know nothing of their journey".

Dani just stared at her mother as the words echoed in her head "is that Zen?" she said not conscious she'd asked the question aloud.

"What is Zen?" Roya questioned quizzically.

"It's…." Dani laughed as a vision of Crews battered face and disheveled look from the morning sprang to the forefront of her mind. "It's nothing….maybe…it's something" Dani thought about Crews kneeling on the floor of the dojo inviting her to meditate with him, leaning against the hood of their unmarked eating some kind of fruit out of plastic cup, standing at the podium in her AA meeting pronouncing he was powerless. Roya gave Dani a look that expressed true confusion. "It's Crews. He's in my head." Dani said smiling.

"But is he also in your heart?" Roya questioned softly. "You must choose, Dani. I'm sure they are both fine men, but it is cruel to both of them to continue to give them hope when only one is in your heart. And I know you – I did not raise a cruel child."

Dani threw her head back in frustration and anger. There is something about mothers that no matter your age, be it 12 or 20, that allows them to get inside your head. It's like there's a secret passage straight to your heart that only they hold the map to and moms can unerringly focus directly on that which is most dear to you and force you to look hard at yourself – sometimes they can do it all with only a look. Dani's mom was a master at it and Dani knew she was right – she was always right.


	6. Chapter 6 Lights Out

**Lights Out…**

Charlie took a cab to his house, paid the taxi and watched it drive away as the streetlights blinked on across the city down the hill from him. He turned and opened the door to his house and was immediately met with a solid right to his jaw. He staggered across the driveway as a very pissed off Jack Reese stalked out of his house, looking like a man ready for blood.

"I told you to keep her out of this" Jack said through clenched teeth. "Then I find out that this animal Nevikov had her and now you've let her get shot" he continued his rant unabated as Charlie backed up a couple steps and stopped.

Jack Reese pulled back to let fly another punch and Charlie dropped his arms to his sides. He let Jack hit him, hard. The blows to his face he hardly felt, then Jack switched to his torso and connecting with the graze wound to his right side, dropping Charlie to his knees. Jack stood above him breathing hard, his face in a snarl and just looked at him "fight back" he shouted.

"No" Charlie said shaking his head with blood in his mouth. Part of him felt he deserved a beating. Reese had become a pawn in this game because of her connection to him, but he still couldn't let her go. Her father was right to be angry, Charlie felt he'd let her get hurt and for that - he welcomed the punishment and pain.

Jack Reese stepped back and looked at the man before him. "Where the hell is your shirt?" Charlie said nothing, still gasping for air his side burning. _Wearing a suit without a shirt certainly seemed to be a real conversation starter with the Reese family _he thought.

"Where's my daughter?" Jack Reese said more quietly clearly concerned.

This time Charlie answered the man "Cedar's Sinai ICU" he held Jack's steady glare.

"I'm gonna kill him. Him first, then you." Jack promised.

"Roman Nevikov will never touch her again. He's dead. I killed him. I'd kill anyone who hurt her" Charlie said flatly, still pained and gasping but recovering fast. "Dani was shot during a robbery stake out tonight…maybe it was last night" he continued "but I let her get hurt and if I were you I'd want to kill me too, but I would never put her in danger, I swear to you."

"Why the hell should I believe you?" Jack said snidely, but less angrily.

"Because I value her life more than my own, more than anything I have, more than my freedom" Charlie paused and readied himself for the blow he knew would come when he finished "because I love her".

Jack's eyes widened and he drew back his fist back. Crews simply closed his eyes and waited for the blow.

The blow never came. Jack Reese's world pitched and rolled as Charlie Crews told him he was in love with his daughter. _No, no, no, no, no…._ he thought. He also knew his daughter, her devotion to the man and her penchant for broken men with troubled souls. Charlie Crews was almost irresistible to his daughter, if she let him in, she'd be hooked. He knew her.

"Jesus Christ!" he exclaimed. "You aren't good enough for her, you're…. just ….. and she's my little girl! You….son of a….. I told you to keep her out of this! You think falling in love with her qualifies as keeping her out of this?" Too stunned to deliver any more blows he just began pacing like a caged animal.

Crews imagined the lunacy of the whole event. He was on his knees, in his own driveway, in the dark, in a $3000 suit, with no shirt and he was in love with the daughter of the man who was most likely his sworn enemy – if people even did that sort of thing anymore. But all it did was make him think of Dani and his promise. He put his hand on the pavement and struggled to rise.

"Just where the hell do you think you're going?" Jack Reese bellowed.

"To shower and shave. I promised Dani" Charlie said his battered face oozing blood from a cut above his eye and a split lip.

"You do that Crews. You do that. Then we are going to see my daughter and you're going to tell her that you have to leave. I don't want to ever see you around her again, Crews. You're dangerous and you're going to get her killed." Jack told him. Charlie swallowed hard knowing the man could be right.

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Charlie Crews stood before the mirror in his bathroom examining himself.

_Downstairs Jack Reese is drinking my good scotch and probably deciding how to kill me,_ Charlie thought ruefully.

He concluded that looked like a mile of hard road. His red hair stuck up at odd angles, his cheek and eyebrow were cut and his bottom lip split from the beating he'd taken. He slipped out of his jacket and peered at the deep furrow in his side between his 6th and 7th ribs as it turned a deep burgundy edged in black dried blood. His chest was still stained pink from Dani's blood soaking though his shirt. Only his eyes were clear and at that he smiled and white teeth shone back at him. _So there was a human being under there after all,_ he thought.

He unbuckled his belt, dropped his trousers and stepped into the shower, turning the water as hot as he could stand it. He left the jets from the shower head beat on his shoulders and neck as water ran over his face and chin, hiding the tears he'd been holding back most of the night, which he finally let fall. He sobbed a few times, allowing himself that - after nearly losing Dani Reese tonight. He climbed out of the shower, wrapping a large white Egyptian cotton bath towel around his waist and kicked his ruined suit into the corner of the room. He would burn it later he decided.

Charlie began the task of shaving around his marked up face, trying to navigate around sore lips and cheekbones to make himself presentable. When he was done he'd nicked himself at least four times. Little pieces of toilet paper stuck to his face and he dabbed at the still oozing cut on his cheek and over his right eye. Already there was a bruise rising on his face the size and shape of Jack Reese's fist, but it was the best he could do under the circumstances.

He took a deep breath and poured the aftershave he knew Dani liked into his hands bracing for the sting and burn it would bring to his wounded features. His eyes watered and he gasped as the cold bite of the aftershave cleaned the last traces of that smell of the robbery stake out from his body. Again he welcomed the pain.

He thought about himself, the darkness that lurked deep inside him and how he could reconcile that with the man who carried a badge and enforced the law. Charlie stared at himself in the mirror and saw the corrections officer he hospitalized on the inside, he saw the man he's shot that first case inside the crack house, he saw Neil Cudahy lying on the floor in that bathroom, he saw Kyle Hollis sitting handcuffed on the roadside as he dug that hole, he saw the man bleeding out on the sidewalk tonight – one of the men who'd shot Reese. He couldn't really remember if he wanted to hurt them or if he just had to. The choices that he'd made into to stay alive, to survive, gnawed at his soul.

_Was he a man capable of being human anymore? Or was he just too damaged?_ Dani Reese had been terribly scarred by her past and here he was an imperfect, damaged and inconsistent future. _Could there be enough Zen to contain the anger he felt sometimes? Would she ever be safe with him? Was he just being selfish?_ He sighed heavily. _How do you let go of something that you think might be the only thing standing between yourself and the abyss?_

Charlie stood up and walked away from the mirror knowing that if he really loved Dani Reese he should let her go, but he just wasn't sure if he was strong enough to walk away from her. _Maybe Jack Reese would help him, h_e thought wryly _Who was he kidding? He'd be lucky if Jack Reese didn't help him off the roof of a very tall building_, and in darker moments, Charlie wondered if that wasn't what he deserved.

Charlie dressed in a pair of faded denim jeans and a slightly, rumpled, tan, rough linen shirt, with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and the tails left untucked. He then applied a liberal amount of the cologne Dani liked, trying his best not to be a disappointment to her. He took a long look at himself in the mirror and decided that he looked a little better and smelled a whole lot better. He took a deep breath and steadied himself to meet Jack Reese and continue to round two.

****************************************************************************************************************

Charlie stiffly positioned himself behind the wheel of his Maserati Quattroporte and Jack Reese slumped into the passenger seat of the fancy Italian sports car.

He turned the key and the car sprung to life with a throaty growl.

"My daughter like this car?" Jack asked levelly.

"She does" Charlie responded surprised the man was attempting to converse with him. "She likes to drive, she always drives, even this car..." he trailed off knowing he was saying too much.

"You have all this money and you can't go somewhere and disappear?" Jack questioned again as they headed down the hill away from the mansion.

"I want to know why?" Charlie told him, wanting to say more but knowing that was enough and trying not to further provoke Dani's father.

"That worth my daughter's life?" Jack asked him, finally looking at Crews.

"No…no it isn't" Charlie admitted returning the man's gaze levelly and swallowing hard as Jack Reese's point struck home.


	7. Chapter 7 Coffee & Confrontations

**Coffee and Confrontations….**

Charlie Crews stood in the middle of an active, well lit and cheery coffee house listening to the white noise of an espresso maker, while a twenty something kid with a pierced nose and multiple tribal tats made Dani's coffee. He glanced outside where Jack Reese sat in his expensive car with the window rolled down still fuming. He imagined the anger rolling off Jack Reese like waves of heat in a fire. Charlie had every reason to hate the man, but he found himself respecting the fierceness with which Jack protected his daughter – that Charlie respected. In that aspect alone, Charlie found himself on the same sheet of music as former SWAT Captain Jack Reese.

Crews paid the Goth girl manning the cash register, snagging an apple to stave off his hunger and silence his growling stomach. He could not recall when last he ate a good meal and thought about how it seemed like a week since he and Dani were chatting amiably in their unmarked on another night of surveillance, when in reality it had been less than 12 hours. Everything had changed in the blink of an eye and again he was reminded of all the things he could lose. He swallowed hard thinking about how very rapidly everything important to him could be taken away. It was like the night they arrested him fifteen years ago – it seemed surreal, like watching a television show of someone else's life, but then it was horrifyingly real for twelve long years. He shuddered just thinking about it.

"Sir" the kid with the tats and piercings said for perhaps the third time "your coffee?" Charlie blinked himself back to the now, stuffed the apple in his pocket, collected the two cups of coffee and walked to his car. He silently handed the cup of black coffee to Jack Reese through the window, which Dani's father took without comment. Dani's coffee he slipped into the cup holder in the console.

"They're not going to let you take that into the ICU" Jack told him flatly.

Charlie said nothing, but sparked the engine to life and headed towards the hospital, away from the confusion and noise of the LA nightlife, back to the quiet hospital and sleeping, soothing presence of his partner. Somehow just being in the same room with Dani Reese smoothed out the rough edges for Charlie.

********************************************************************************

Tidwell was not as relieved from his visit to Dani in the hospital as he had hoped. In the back of his mind lurked the thought that she was slipping away from him and with his head down deep in thought he meandered through the antiseptic hospital corridors to the parking garage, dreading his return to the station and the chaos there. So much for a respite.

He looked up as he heard the throaty growl of Crews expensive black sports car in the quietness of the garage. It was approaching twenty-four hours post shooting and Crews had yet to make even a basic statement to IAD. Tidwell needed to corral his quirky detective and get him on paper about the events of the night prior. He waited for Crews to park and exit the car. He hoped to get Crews back to the station to make some sort of statement about the shooting, but knew it would be a fight to tear him away from Dani.

Crews exited the car and Tidwell was surprised to see a white haired man with a solid build climb from the passenger side of the Maserati. Tidwell recognized the man from the pictures on the mantle at the Reese home as Dani's father. He nodded to Crews and waved him over. "Crews" he talked in conspiratorial tones "where'd you find Dani's dad?"

"I didn't – he found me" Crews said tersely.

"She said he ran off months ago" Tidwell continued "I don't think her mom took it too well and walking them into each other in the hospital could be bad for everyone." He counseled.

"I don't think anything is stopping him from going in there" Crews stated as he watched Jack walk away from them and toward the building.

"Hey, what the hell happened to your face?" the Captain asked him.

"I shaved" Crews deadpanned.

"Funny… you're a fuckin comedian Crews. IAD is up my ass about you and you disappear from the hospital and come back beat up, so how's about you cut the crap Detective and tell me who kicked your ass?" Tidwell remarked snidely obviously not amused as Crews oblique comment.

"Dani's father" he said staring the Captain in the face with hard, cold eyes.

"Oh…." was all Tidwell could muster in response.

Crews reached back into the car for Dani's coffee and then said "I'm going inside now, Captain."

"Crews….you have to make some kind of statement about the shooting. Officer involved, four dead bad guys and we still don't know what happened. IAD wants your ass on this one." Tidwell whined.

"So, nothing's changed, huh?" Crews joked darkly. Tidwell just shrugged.

"You can tell them to talk to my attorney or my PBA rep. I'll make a statement when my partner is stable and out of danger, until then they can just wonder and ask forensics – because cooperating and telling the truth right away has worked so well for me in the past." Charlie said in sharply smart aleck way – uncommon for the usually genial detective.

"They're going to try to hang you." The Captain warned.

"So what's new? Last time I didn't hurt anyone and I did twelve years. This time I killed four men, so what's that gonna get me?" Crews said in an uncharacteristically dark mood. "I'm not leaving her." He told Tidwell honestly, his eyes still hard but more sympathetic.

"Ok, ok…I'll hold them off as long as I can" Tidwell promised. "I can do that." Tidwell wondered about the intelligence of being so helpful to a romantic rival, but the cop in him couldn't leave Crews hanging and knowing that Dani would never forgive him if he did.

***************************************************************************************

As Charlie trailed behind Jack Reese down the hallway to ICU, he watched the man's gait, posture and non-verbals. Jack was clearly still spoiling for a fight and the tenseness in the man made him appear wooden and stiff. Charlie worried that Jack would be hard on his daughter and Charlie was fairly certain he would not stand for anyone upsetting Dani, even her dad. The whole situation reminded him of a Roadrunner cartoon and he felt like the coyote strapped to huge stick of Acme dynamite, and you just knew it was not going to end well for the coyote.

As luck would have it, Roya Reese was at the nurse's station as they approached. She paled visibly at her first glimpse of her husband, then her look hardened and she scowled at him fiercely. Her tiny hands clenched into fists as Charlie watched this beautiful, gracious, elegant woman turn into a fiery little nightmare. He was reminded of Dani's quick temper and the fury she could summon; also inherited from her mother it would seem. At that exact moment, Charlie did not envy Jack Reese in the least and actually almost felt sorry for the man.

The slap echoed off the sterile surfaces in the quiet ICU, as Roya struck her husband's cheek with all the strength her petite frame could muster. Charlie watched holding his breath and wondering if Jack's barely contained rage would boil over and he'd be forced to arrest the man. Jack Reese may have been a tough man, but his meanness and rage apparently did not extend to his wife. He exhaled, schooled his features and carefully and gently took his wife by the elbow and steered her into the hallway.

"Where have you been?" Roya asked her voice on the verge of breaking. The woman had endured a long day, after being awakened at 0545hrs by a policeman on her doorstep. She was reaching a breaking point, even for a woman as poised and graceful as she tried to be.

"I left to protect you both – I can't tell you why, but it obviously didn't work" Jack told her somewhat sheepishly. "I came back as soon as I heard Dani was taken".

"That was weeks ago and we have both had to endure much in your wake. You have made an ill bed and your family has had to sleep there." Roya lectured him. "We were told you had been killed."

Jack could say nothing in response – everything she said was unerringly true.

"Slap me as many times as you need to, then tell me how our daughter is" he said softly and as Roya blinked back tears added "I'm sorry I left, but I was trying to protect my family, Roya. You and Dani are all I have."

"You may not have Dani any longer Jack. She has chosen a different path, a more honorable one I believe, but she is stubborn like you and if you do not respect her choices our family will break in two." She admitted her worst fears as the tears escaped her eyes.

"I'm not gonna let that happen, honey" Jack promised his wife. He let the comment about stubbornness go, because Jack truly believed Dani came by that character trait from his willful and obstinate wife. Dani Reese never had a chance with an Irish father and a Persian mother, pride, fury and obstinacy were in her DNA.

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The Reese's departure left the hallway between Charlie and Dani's room free of obstructions and his path was clear and quiet. He walked to the foot of her bed and stood quietly watching her sleep with his hands clasped behind his back still holding her coffee. As Charlie watched the peaceful, sleeping form of his young partner, he puzzled over his failures.

After Pelican Bay, Charlie wanted to remove all the distractions and meaningless objects from his life so he could focus on what was important. He felt he'd learned so much from his time inside. He strode forward into his second chance at life with a firm commitment to remain unattached to "things". Charlie was intent on keeping his life uncluttered. He wouldn't even buy something as simple as a dining room table, but despite his well planned "path to Zen", he still managed to find something to become attached to – something he feared losing more than his own life, his hard won freedom or any of the money that came with it – his partner. That word took on extra meaning now as he watched the young woman he'd take a bullet for. He realized there was very little he wouldn't do for her.

He shook his head thinking about it, he felt stupid, he'd learned nothing. Still life was beyond his ability to control, sequestering himself from things hadn't stopped attachment at all, because you can't tell your heart not to love someone.

When he first got out, he'd wanted to go back to what he'd lost so badly that Charlie had nearly missed it. But that day in the car when Jen offered to divorce Mark and "remarry" him, Charlie realized she wasn't the future he wanted. He balked at her offer to move in and at the time, he thought Jen was just being cruel, but in reality she was releasing him from the chains of his past to walk freely towards his future.

Charlie shook his head again at his own ignorance. All his glorious Zen aims had fallen short, because Charlie was attached to something, to someone, to Dani Reese and the big question for him now was – if attachment really was the cause of suffering - who would it cause to suffer?

"Crew?" Dani called to him "Crews? You here?" He smiled at her use of something typically Zen, without any intent to emulate him. It was something she said often, but didn't appreciate the Zen significance of and it made him happy for no reason.

"Did you bring it?" She said in that slightly demanding, distinctly Dani Reese way he knew and loved.

Charlie smiled and produced the coffee cup from behind his back. She sighed and smiled in return. Charlie walked to her bedside and into the circle of light from the bedside lamp and handed her the cup, whispering "don't tell your nurses" while he winked at her.

"What happened to your face?" Dani questioned directly.

"Uh…good news." He studiously ignored her question "Your dad's not dead." He smiled brightly. "As a matter of fact, he's outside talking with you mom right now."

"He did that to your face didn't he?" Dani said darkly. Charlie just nodded.

"Drink your coffee, honey. I'm fine" Charlie smiled at her and kissed her forehead.

"How come everybody blames you for this? It's like I'm six and you left me home alone. I'm a senior detective, "your" senior detective and "we" got involved in a shoot out – it's part of the job. You're my partner, not my protector…" Dani was spinning herself up mightily.

"Shhh" he said smoothing back her hair. But Dani's mercurial temper was tough to contain and Charlie was reminded of her mother's rapid transition at the nurse's station. "It's only important that you rest and get better. You think I want to write this mess up by myself?" he joked trying to temper her anger with a little levity.

"I know what you are doing" she said returning to sipping her lukewarm coffee.

"What's that?" Charlie pretended.

"Handling me. Everybody treats me like I'm a china doll – I'm not – I'm a goddamned cop, Crews. I'm your partner, not a child." Dani pouted.

"I know that" Charlie said dropping the "honey" knowing it would just piss her off, but he was still concerned at her obvious agitation. Crews was no fool; he knew the dangers of attempting to placate Dani Reese. She'd eat his lunch and Crews knew it.

As she examined him clinically, Charlie could feel her eyes on him. Dani Reese was not a big talker, she'd already said more in last few minutes than she had during the previous night's surveillance. They fell into an uncomfortable silence.

Then Charlie pulled up a chair and sat down beside her. Dani could not know how her presence effected him, it was like sitting next to the fireplace on an autumn evening, more relaxing than meditation and Charlie's long frame visibly relaxed and uncoiled as he sunk into the uncomfortable chair and reached for her hand.

Dani Reese did not like people touching her normally. Touching she associated with the utilitarian tasks of wrestling bad guys into cuffs or meaningless sex to burn off her cravings for more dangerous pursuits. It was unnecessary, but as they sat quietly, linked hands and linked hearts, while their minds and tongues were silent, Dani began to appreciate her connection to her partner. He balanced her, he grounded her, calmed her - without him she felt….lost, cold and alone.

When Crews was present, even if she was annoyed at him, her psyche was in a better place, she felt at peace, safe - not from anything he did – but just from him being there. It was unsettling, how comfortable she was with him inside her personal space, it was as if she'd always been missing a piece until he walked into her life. It was becoming more difficult to imagine her future without Charlie Crews in it.

She quietly sipped at her coffee as his presence soothed her heartbeat and they fell into a gentle rhythm of breathing together as machines in the ICU beeped and whirred quietly in the background. _Do not speak unless it improves on the silence_ Charlie thought – the meaning of the Zen koan now making complete sense to him. Dani ceased struggling and surrendered to sleep, her eyes slipping closed as Charlie watched. He carefully rose and reached across her to take her coffee and drink the few remaining draughts of the cool but sweet drink.

She mumbled something unintelligible, sighed and shifted slightly causing Charlie to squeeze her hand lightly to remind her he was still there. He set the empty cup on a rolling table near her bed and brushed an errant hair from her face. Dani turned her face into the warmth of his hand and he caressed her cheek. Charlie very gently kissed Dani's forehead and settled back into his chair, leaned his head back and closed his eyes, unaware Jack and Roya Reese were observing him from a distance.

Jack Reese looked down at the conjoined hands of himself and his wife and sighed unhappily. Some things could not be overcome by time, distance or emotion, they simply were – love was one of those things. Roya was still quite angry with him, she would not forgive him for some time and there would be penance in his future, but now was not the time for anger and recriminations – it was time for family – a family that Jack Reese feared was beginning to include Detective Charlie Crews.

His jaw set, Jack's brain began to grind out a way to separate his daughter from her partner – knowing Crews would be unable to walk away from Dani despite the danger and uncertainty he brought to her life. The man loved her.


	8. Chapter 8 Like Father Like Daughter

**Like Father, Like Daughter….**

Dani Reese opened her eyes feeling someone else in her hospital room. The hair on the back of her neck stood up. It was dark, quiet, probably the middle of the night, although she could not be sure of the time. Nothing moved, but she could feel someone there.

"I know you're there – what do you want?" she spoke hoping she sounded stronger and surer than she felt.

"I wanna know why you won't talk to me Dani" Jack Reese spoke from the shadowed corner of her room, still not revealing himself. "Are you gonna stay mad at me the rest of your life?"

If knowing it was her father was supposed to ease her worries, it failed miserably. Dani Reese was still holding onto a memory of the Bank of LA robbery that came to her that night in the car, one she and Crews had not yet spoken of in the days following the shooting, not even after they'd moved her to a private room. The room was probably not the type her Department insurance would pay for – she knew Crews was behind it and she wasn't sure why they had not talked about her father, the Bank of LA or how he miraculously reappeared in their lives.

Dani wasn't afraid her father would hurt her, but she wasn't ready to be alone in a room with him either. She found herself wishing for backup in the form of her often smiling, sometimes maniacal, red haired partner. Even on his worst day, Charlie could make her feel safer just leaning against the wall saying nothing.

Then she remembered Charlie's face the morning he'd shown up beaten by her father and she was suddenly very angry about each cut, each bruise and scrape on her partner's smiling face. Marks placed there by her father, the man who judged Crews so harshly and yet could rationalize what he'd done to her partner. She wasn't sure she wanted to talk to him at all.

"Are you going to answer me?" Jack said sternly.

"Stop talking to me like I'm twelve." She snapped.

"Stop acting like it." Jack raised his voice.

Dani missed her sidearm and her partner. She scowled fiercely. "Maybe you can tell me why you beat up my partner, who's never done you anything." She countered fiercely.

"Crews? Christ Dani, this is about Charlie Crews? You have no idea who that man is. He's dangerous and I don't want you around him. When you get out of here, I'm going to talk to the Department about getting you a new partner." Jack announced as if he could plan and predict her future.

"Crews is my partner. He's my partner now and he'll be my partner when I go back to work." Dani stuck to her guns.

"We'll see about that." Jack said snidely.

All her life, Dani had wanted to please her father. She wanted to be the kind of daughter he wanted and the kind of cop he respected, but it was clear to her now that her father did not respect her or her choices. When she was a child, she bowed to his strong will, although usually after a shouting match and a lot of slammed doors in their house. But Dani was no longer a child.

"Crews is my choice. I'm not leaving him." She raised her voice headed towards their normal shouting match decibel level for disagreements.

"That man is not good for you and this is non-negotiable, Dani - I forbid it!" Jack shouted.

Exact wrong thing to say. Dani Reese was a very stubborn young woman whose pain meds were wearing thin and she was just itching for a fight. She'd just battled back from a very serious injury, one that would have killed her had it not been for Charlie Crews. If Jack Reese thought he'd reduce Dani to tears by shouting, he was in for a surprise. He'd just shook the branch of a tree full of hornets, waved a bright red flag in the face of an angry bull. He had no idea of the reserve of anger Dani had been storing, sublimating, keeping on a low boil until it could no longer be contained.

She began in a low threatening tone, one usually reserved for perps "if you think that being my father gives you the right to tell me who I'll work with and who I'll trust - you are dead wrong. Charlie Crews is part of my life and he will be no matter what favors you call in and shady deals you make. I know what you did to him. I remember the Bank of LA and I know you were involved. I don't know how it is connected to Crews going to prison, but I know it is. Connection by connection I will figure it out and when I do -- if it leads to you, then there is no place you'll be able to hide from me."

"I'm your father and you'll do no such thing." Jack countered, but she could feel the effect her threat had on him, she could hear the fear in his voice and sense him shifting in the dark.

"Oh yes, I can and believe me - I will" steel in her voice and ice water in her veins.

"You'd chose that man over your own blood?" Jack Reese was reeling. The connection between his daughter and Crews was seamless and unbreakable. It was Jack's worst nightmare. _How had it come to this? _He thought._ Why couldn't Charlie Crews have just died in prison? Why couldn't he take his money and walk away? He should have killed him when he had the chance_ Jack thought as the ramifications of his daughter's choice raced through his brain.

"And one more thing" Dani continued in a voice barely over a whisper, but laced with hate and deathly serious "you ever lay a hand on Crews again – you and I are through - no matter how this turns out" Dani growled like she was ready to come out of the bed and find him in the dark. Her tiny dark eyes were alit with fire and her anger radiated off her in waves, like heat off a blackened desert roadway.

"Dani" he began.

"We're done. You go home to Mom and if you ever scare her like that again, you won't find us here when you come slinking back" Dani said effectively shutting the door on the conversation.

Jack stalked out of the room and down the hall buried in his thoughts and trying to wrap his head around his worst fears coming true. His daughter, his only daughter, was firmly in the court of a man they'd set up for murder, a man who'd served twelve years in prison to cover up the fall out from an $18 million dollar robbery pulled off by well placed LAPD officers. Things couldn't be worse.

Dani released a shuddering breath and released the fistfuls of sheets she'd wrapped her hands around to maintain control. Then it all made sense to her. The reason she'd held back her memory of the Bank of LA, not as a trump card, not to hurt her father, but to protect her partner. She could leverage the knowledge to keep him safe as he had done for her – it was what partners do. Crews never had to know, she knew and that was enough.

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Kevin Tidwell watched as Jack Reese bolted from his daughter's room like he was fired from a cannon. The man was so preoccupied he missed Tidwell lounging outside Dani's hospital room waiting to see her – and eavesdropping. He'd overheard most of what was said between Jack Reese and his tough, temperamental daughter.

On one hand Tidwell considered the fact that he was not the subject of their argument and thought it might be a positive thing. The fact that he did not come up in conversation might also mean that he didn't merit mentioning, but Charlie Crews certainly did. Dani defended him, fought for him and even risked her family ties for the man. That meant something, what Tidwell was not sure – but he was sure he didn't like it.

He risked the late night visit, knowing it afforded him the best chance to visit with Dani without her mother or Crews there. He briefly considered entering the room, but decided instead to leave without letting Dani know he'd come. He had no idea what the hell the Bank of LA comment meant, but he'd be researching it as soon as he got back to the precinct. He shambled down the hallway, handing a small bouquet of flowers he'd bought to a night shift nurse and fading into the night.


	9. Chapter 9 The Bank of LA

**The Bank of LA….**

Over the next few days, things evened out. They did not return to normal, because what is normal anyway? But tempers subsided largely and anger took a backseat to getting back into a rhythm. Crews eventually left Dani's side, went to the station and made his statement. He even did a turn in the box with IAD, employing his Zen wisdom sparingly to avoid provoking them further. But even IAD couldn't find anything wrong with the shoot, despite their best effort to see it in a bad light. They didn't know about the man on the sidewalk and Charlie wasn't volunteering anything not directly asked by the rat squad.

Crews slept at his home most nights, when Dani was moved to a private room, but he continued to spend the better part of his days with her. They didn't do anything in particular, but it was like sitting in the car, it was just something they did -together. Coffee and paperwork followed, but they did not speak of the shooting.

Tidwell got a handle on the press and the brass and finally got ahead of the power curve on information courtesy of some help from a very efficient Detective Jane Seever, who Tidwell still believed might be a robot, but a really good one like a Cylon. He and Crews danced around each other both assessing the competition and an uneasy truce settled between the men for the time being.

Jack Reese returned home, but was relegated to the couch, which was far more comfortable than doing penance on his knees like he had to in Catholic school. Roya's dirty looks were fewer and farther between. She tolerated him driving her to the hospital to see Dani, but in so far as Roya knew - the biggest of confrontations had yet to come. Dani simply refused to acknowledge, speak to or otherwise interact with her father and Jack was not giving an inch either. No one but Tidwell knew about their late night row and he wasn't sharing.

Charlie and Roya exchanged looks as the battle of wills entered its fifth full day and neither Reese showed any signs of yielding. Crews knew better than to push Dani, because her stubbornness matched her father's and the scowl she wore when Jack was present made Charlie think she might never speak to him again if he did.

What he was certain about was Dani's absolute refusal to talk to her father had less to do with him leaving without a word and more to do with the look of surprise that crossed her face that night in the car just before the shoot-out. It had everything to do with the Bank of LA robbery. He wanted to know what, but was smart enough to know that when she was ready Dani would tell him.

The Thursday following the shootout, Charlie arrived to the hospital to find Dani grousing about being let out of the hospital. A mousy man in spectacles who was obviously a doctor was getting a tongue lashing from Dani as Charlie stepped into the room and the doctor thought he was saved.

"You must be the husband… can you explain to your wife that we simply can't discharge her until the chest tube is removed?" the man almost begged Charlie.

"Uh….no…I'm…. we're not…. uh" Charlie stammered. "Dani can't you just wait a day or two, honey?" he hoped for a reprieve. Reese narrowed her eyes and focused her anger on him.

"This is not your decision, Crews." She snapped. "And we're not married, why does everyone think that?" looking pointedly at Charlie.

Charlie shrugged in response. "Maybe you should leave…" Charlie said under his breath to the slight doctor and the man beat a hasty retreat.

"Reese? You wanna tell me why you are taking out all your anger on that scared little doctor?" he deepened his voice to get her attention, but he knew Dani needed to say something - and not to the doctor. He was trying to avoid the confrontation he knew was coming until she was out of the hospital, but that just wasn't going to happen and Charlie knew it.

"I just wanna go home. I wanna sleep in my own bed. I wanna have time to think without having people around me 24/7, Crews. Is that asking so much?" she was winding down as she realized how petulant she sounded.

Crews stared at his partner a long moment and watched the anger fade from her eyes and she began to toy with the edge of the blanket, worrying a snag with her finger. He knew she was feeling caged and needed to be free – Charlie understood that feeling better than most. Reese was not used to other people, she was a solitary person by nature and only sought out others when she could deal with them.

All day long a police officer plays a role, for the public, for their co-workers, for themselves. Its, one part counselor, one part mediator, one part clerk typist, one part race car driver, one part superhero and they do it all knowing that any decision (including making one) can get them or someone else killed. They have to make split second decisions with imperfect data and then everyone gets a lifetime to second guess that decision. When their day ends, they want to escape the people, the pressure and the belief - that they can be all things to all people.

Charlie decided it was time he shared his struggles with her, partly so she would know she was not alone and partly to shine a light into the darkness that he battled with daily. Reese needed to know he was not what he appeared to be and that sometimes Charlie didn't like what looked back at him from the mirror.

"Look, I need to get something off my chest" he began "and you are the only person I can tell that I think might have a slight chance of understanding". Charlie pulled his chair up to her bedside, as he had on the preceding days. Dani was mute, but nodded unsure of where he was headed.

"The night you were shot" Charlie began exhaling "the night you were shot… one of those men wasn't dead when the ambulance took you away." He confessed. "One was still breathing and I let him die." Dani nodded solemnly and Charlie continued "no, not true. I didn't let him die. I helped him die, I watched him die and I was glad when he did. Do you know why?" Charlie asked looking up at her.

Dani shook her head once and laid her hand on his arm "Crews…."

"Let me finish" he said and she stopped talking. "I watched him die, didn't help him and didn't care - because of what he'd done to you, for hurting you. I know I'd be a better person if I forgave him that, but sometimes there is this well of darkness in me that is so powerful I can't control it. It's vicious and vengeful and terrifying and I don't think you should be around it."

"I think about the things I'd do to someone who hurt you and I'm not a cop in those moments Reese. That day with Roman….I was not a cop anymore….and it felt good. I don't know if I wanted to hurt those people or I needed to hurt them, but I know it's dangerous and I don't want you endangered because of me."

"What are you saying?" Dani asked quietly. "You want a new partner?"

"I want you" Crews said honestly "but what I want from you is more than I deserve, more than I should ask and maybe more than you can give" he finished.

"How do you know?" she responded quietly and he simply shook his head not willing to listen. Charlie had made his decision for the both of them. This was best. She would be safe.

"How do you know what I'm capable of?" she was truly annoyed that he would be so dismissive of their connection. "How do you know that I don't feel the exact same way? That I wouldn't have done the same things to Roman or that shooter if our situations were reversed?"

"I don't think you have that level of darkness in you and what's more - I don't want that for you" he told her seriously. "You deserve better. Someone like Tidwell who cares for you and won't endanger you would be better, safer for you. I just needed for you to know how I feel."

"Do I Crews?" "Do I know how you feel? Cause if you need to tell me how you feel, then stop hiding behind this superhero crap about protecting me and tell me what's really going on here. Because I'm pretty sure I know - you're scared." Dani was well and truly pissed now.

"So you tell yourself that it's for my protection that I'm better off, that I can't handle your darkness, but what you are really doing is hiding. You don't get to decide for me that for me, Crews." She stared at him forcing him to look away from the directness and honesty in her dark eyes. She was too much but then she was always too much and Dani Reese was exact what he wanted, troubled soul, mercurial temper, sharp wit and tongue and the soul of an angel underneath - he wanted it all, but more than that he wanted her to be safe - to be happy and for that he had to walk away.

"Dani" he started and she hit him. Her small hand connected with his face sharply and unexpectedly, just as her mother had slapped Jack Reese. She wasn't able to summon much strength in her current condition, but there was no mistaking the anger behind her eyes. She cocked her hand back again, but this time when it came forward Charlie was ready for her. He caught her wrist in his hand and stopped her. The air between them crackled and shimmered with electricity.

They stared and each other neither willing to back down. Her dark brown eyes glittered at him as he tried to keep his blue eyes cold and hard. Both were breathing hard and then he was no longer fighting with her, he was kissing her and her free hand was pulling at his shirt, urging him closer. Charlie had no real memory of actually thinking about kissing Dani Reese it just happened and suddenly it became the most important, best kiss of his entire life.

He released her wrist and buried his hand in her hair at the base of her neck, slanting his mouth across hers in a fiery kiss that had them both breathless. He broke needing air and buried his head in the hollow of her neck as he tried hard to regain some measure of the control, which she'd stolen from him. He knew it was useless – she owned him.

"Don't you ever leave me Crews" she warned "you promised." She whispered into his ear.

"You don't want me Dani, I'm no good for you." He breathed against her throat.

"Why don't you let me decide that Charlie?" she said pulling back and looking him in the eye "I can handle more than you think. I don't care that you killed Roman. It doesn't bother me that man died, I'd already shot him and if you think I wasn't trying to kill him – then you don't really know me at all."

"You promised me Crews" she chided him.

"I know honey" he said. "But I had to give you a chance to see what you were getting into" he said quietly "You said you needed to know whether your partner was a cop or a con. Some days I'm not sure. I'm not sure I'm a good guy anymore. I want to be, but some times…" he trailed off.

"We'll work on that part, Charlie." She promised. "but I know you, I trust you and you are one of the good guys that much I'm sure about." She smiled shyly at him and Charlie returned to his chair. The confrontation he feared ended better than he'd hoped although he still feared for her; Charlie vowed to himself that he'd double or quadruple his efforts to protect her.

"What's up with you and your Dad?" he probed.

He could see her shut down before he finished the question. She broke eye contact, stiffened and he could feel her leaving he moment. "Hey" he returned her eyes to his with a gently knuckle under her chin "trust works both ways."

Dani bit her lip and he could see the gears grinding in her head and sense the choice before she verbalized it. "He was there that day, the Bank of LA. He was involved. I remember things now that make me sure beyond a doubt."

"You told me that in the car" he said thinking perhaps the trauma made her forget those moments before the shooting.

"What I didn't tell you is that he came here three nights ago" Charlie stiffened and he felt suddenly angry although he was not sure why. The darkness lapped at his soul as she continued. "He came here and threatened to use his contacts in the Department to split us up."

He just stared at her, knowing there was more. With Dani there was always more. "It's not going to happen, I took care of it, but he hates you Crews…really truly hates you." She finished.

"Dani? What did you do?" he asked his voice full of concern, but he already knew. She had gotten herself neck deep in this mess of his, just like the day he'd pulled the knife on Manny Umaga, she had backed her partner. He closed his eyes and waited for what he knew was coming.

"I told him I knew what he'd done and that if he didn't leave you, us, alone, I'd use that information and put him away." She told him strongly.

"Oh, honey…" he said softly as gathered her into his arms and whispered into her hair. "Why?" Charlie question as kissed her head. "This isn't your fight" he chided lightly - deep down he was touched by her show of faith, despite fearing for her.

"You know why" she spoke into his chest.

This time when Charlie closed his eyes it was to blink back tears. He stroked her hair and held her for a few long moments. He wasn't at all sure where they stood. Charlie knew about Reese and Tidwell and though he was certain she was more important to him than life, he had no idea what she felt. He'd only kissed her twice, once after she'd woken from surgery and was so doped up she probably couldn't remember and just now.

What Crews did know was that no one had ever demonstrated the devotion and commitment to him that Reese just had. His fiery young partner chose him, above her own family, ahead of her own safety and in all those years in prison only his mother had ever believed in Charlie the way Reese did.

He was determined not to let her become a victim in whatever game this was "they" were playing with his life, but what Crews was rapidly realizing was that everything was connected, including himself and Dani Reese. Seriously, deeply and lastingly connected and it made him feel warm and happy inside and fearful beyond description - all at the same time.

"And people say I am a trouble magnet?" He joked. "When you get to heaven, Reese, I'd bet you walk up and kick Saint Peter square in the nuts." She scowled at him "You are so damned stubborn, honey."

"Says the man who won't let go of the past" she countered with an arched brow.

_She so had his number_ he thought. "So where do we go from here?" Charlie asked.

"Home. Get me out of here, Crews" she pled with him.

Charlie nodded and went to find a doctor and get his tough, young partner released. She'd drawn a deep line in the sand. The men Jack Reese feared would view her as the enemy now too. Charlie and Dani Reese were tied tighter together now than ever before. Her choice became theirs and their connection was welded like iron. He feared for Dani, but he knew that no one else would do a better job of watching his back and he trusted no one else to watch hers.


	10. Chapter 10 Your Place or Mine

**Your Place or Mine…**

Charlie sprung his partner from the hospital with multiple caveats and qualifications, like she couldn't work, she couldn't drive, she couldn't walk very far and lastly, she couldn't stay alone in her home. And that was the one that was going to get him into trouble with her and he knew it.

As the orderly wheeled Dani's chair down the hallway, she pouted about the restrictions on her freedom and Charlie could tell she'd have a half-dozen excuses for why they shouldn't apply when they got into his car. He dreaded the conversation that was coming, but his heart soared that they were out of the hospital and in the fresh air outdoors.

There is something about hospitals that all cops hate. Maybe it's the antiseptic cleanliness of the place, maybe it's all the sick people, or maybe it's just the reminder of their own mortality, but cops uniformly hate hospitals. As the glass doors opened to the driveway, both Dani and Charlie inhaled the fresh air and sunshine. It was as if a season in hell or a long period of purgatory was finally over.

It was a glorious afternoon and the late day sun cast everything in golden shades as if the entire world was gilded. It was the most complimentary light, something the Italians called "long light" and it figured prominently in Renaissance painting or so the man on PBS said. Still Charlie thought it was pretty terrific, even Reese smiled slightly as they made their way around the car and he put her inside. The whole world looked and felt new to them both.

Crews leaned over Dani to buckle her into the passenger side of the Maserati, the closeness reminding him of their earlier kiss. He could feel the tension between them build and he struggled with his attraction as he simultaneously wrestled with her seatbelt. "I just can't….get…." he excused the length of time he lingered over her.

"Maybe this will help" Dani said as she put her small hand over his and leaned forward to brush his lips. Charlie's breath caught as she softly captured his bottom lip in hers. The seatbelt forgotten all he could focus on was the soft smooth texture of Dani's lips. He leaned into her, deepening the kiss and the car became noticeably warmer, as his tongue slid along the edge of her lips requesting entrance. She opened to him as the seatbelt clicked into place, the loud click surprising them both. Their kiss broke to quiet laughter and Charlie drew back and winked at her.

"Yeah, next time I'm having trouble with a seatbelt could you do that again?" He teased, then kissed her quickly again, when she smiled and withdrew shutting the door, wondering if his day could get any better.

Three times he'd kissed her now, he thought, keeping score, although technically this time Dani had kissed him. Charlie froze for a moment when he realized she initiated the intimate contact. His heart skipped a whole series of beats and then his pulse raced. Charlie knew Tidwell would be a serious obstacle and he had a lot of making up to do, but he wasn't going to let Dani out of his sight any time soon - so there was time he thought. The Zen mondo "the trouble is that you think you have time" sprung to the forefront of his mind. He wondered if there he had time or if time had him? had them?

He shook his head clearing his musings and buckled himself in, prepared for the battle that would follow his next question. He exhaled in preparation "So, where to?" and without giving her time to respond he continued to recite the restrictions and limitations on her newly found freedom. "Your choices are…. your parents' house with your mom and dad…my house with me….or your house….also with me".

Dani scowled at him. "I thought you just sprung me from jail?" she questioned.

'Think of it more like supervised parole" he kidded with her smiling. Dani's expression did not change with his attempt at levity. "Look you're recovering from a serious injury, that doctor did not want to release you and you're still pretty weak. I'm not leaving you alone – so your mom or me, those are your choices." He laid down the law. Dani ruled his heart, but in this he was firm and unshakeable.

The key was in the ignition, but Charlie had yet to start the car. "I want your word on this Dani, I want you to promise, or we go right back inside" he said firmly. Dani scowled at him. "I'm not buying the look Reese, your word or back to that wonderful room on the fourth floor."

"You don't have to take such pleasure in it" she groused.

Charlie just returned her look evenly. "Gee Detective Reese, I'm glad I got you out of the hospital so we could have this staring contest in my car" he taunted her. He knew he had her over a barrel and wasn't above exploiting it to get her to commit to being safe.

Reese knew Crews was screwing with her and his ebullient mood was part a function of his ability to play with her again and part their escape from the oppressive atmosphere of the hospital. Plus she wasn't quite as annoyed by the prospect of having to be babysat by her partner as she let on.

"Reese?" Charlie spoke her name as a question, prompting her to look at him again.

"I'm thinking" she stalled "Okay, you win" she said trying to sound disappointed and angry instead of excited at the prospect of what she said next "take me home, Crews".

He donned his shades and smiled one of megawatt smiles knowing the next words to leave his mouth would make her groan "your place or mine, honey?"

Dani did not disappoint, rolling her eyes, throwing her head back in feigned agony and groaning in frustration at his lame joke. But inside she was happy, they were back together in that familiar rhythm she missed and Charlie was happy. When he smiled it made her heart do little flips, a problem she'd been having for far longer than Dani wanted to admit.

"Reese?" Crews waggled his eyebrows at her.

"Ok…ok…ok…my house for clothes and then I guess…yours? It has a guest room right? If we stay at mine, there's just a couch and I'm not sure my couch is long enough for you to sleep on." Dani became all business.

"I'm touched you are concerned about my sleeping arrangements, but if you want to stay at your place, I can sleep on the floor" he offered.

"Why would a man with $50 million dollars sleep on the floor Crews?" she asked.

"I ask myself that every time I end up there" Charlie deadpanned.

He started the engine and handed her his cell. "What's this for? Am I ordering pizza?" she said sarcastically.

"Actually, now that you mention it, I was thinking Chinese, but pizza sounds better" Charlie said somewhat seriously. "You do know I can't cook, right?" he added with a soft chuckle.

"Funny Crews….thought that's what you kept Ted around for" she teased. "What am I supposed to magic up the number for Papa John's?" she questioned wryly.

"Only one number you need to know right now, honey" he drew his sunglasses down and peered at her over the tops "your mother" he warned in a low tone. "I'm not about to be in the dog house with two Reese women in one day."

Dani took the hint and started dialing her mother "who said you could call me honey?" she tried to sound gruff through her smile.

Charlie just smiled and drove his little Italian sports car to his partner's house.

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"You do know you can't go back to work for awhile?" Charlie said with a huge hot slice of pepperoni pizza in his hand. He blew on the pizza and his fingers trying to keep the cheese from sliding off while the pie was still too hot to put in his mouth.

"Why don't you eat that instead of playing with it?" Dani scolded.

"I hate burning the roof of my mouth" Charlie whined. "It feels funny for days afterwards" he explained. "You know how it feels when you burn the roof of your mouth, like licking cardboard..." he continued.

"Yes, Crews. I know. Why would you know what licking cardboard feels like? Never mind, don't answer that I don't want to know" she said frowning at herself for saying the question out loud. "Just put it back in the box until it's cool enough to eat" she instructed.

"Yes, mom" he relented and dropped the slice back in the box. Dani was chewing on a pencil, reading through a file she'd picked up at her house and studiously ignoring him.

"What are you working on?" he peered over her shoulder.

"You're not the only one with your own side investigation you know?" she continued ignoring him and flipped a page in the file.

"Whose file is that?" he asked pizza forgotten and genuinely interested.

"Mickey Rayborne's" she said "hush, I'm reading."

"How'd you get that?" he asked curiously, scooting close to her on the big chestnut leather couch and peering over her shoulder. She turned slightly and placed her small hand over his mouth.

"Reading remember?" she scolded with a smile in her voice, locking eyes with him.

Charlie smiled into her hand and nodded. She removed her hand and reminded him "your pizza's getting cold". Charlie looked from the file the to pizza box and back twice, torn. "Eat. This isn't going anywhere."

"I eat when you eat, not before" he said solemnly. "The file's not going anywhere right?" he smiled parroting her words back to her.

"Fine" she said closing the file. She grinned at him over the next words, which made Charlie swallow hard at the double entendre. "Dinner first, then you show me yours and I'll show you mine" she promised with a sly smile. Charlie's mouth went dry and suddenly pizza and case files were the furthest thing from his mind.


	11. Chapter 11 Signs and Wonders

**Signs and Wonders….**

The phone rang four times before "they" picked up. "We need to talk" was all Jack Reese needed to say. He listened as "they" told him where and when, then he terminated the call. Tucking his cell in his pocket, Jack announced to his wife "I'm going out" and she held up a hand to stay him as she spoke to Dani on their phone in the kitchen. Jack rolled his eyes, but held still while she completed the call.

"I see" she said "and your doctors are sure it is safe for you?" Roya questioned her daughter.

"Yes, of course, well as long as he is there - I know you will not overdo things" her mother chided.

Jack gritted his teeth knowing the "he" his wife was referring to was Charlie Crews. His wife had a decidedly different impression of Crews – she actually liked the man and chatted amiably with him at the hospital, while Jack shot Crews daggers, hoping he'd somehow developed the ability to kill with a look in his sleep. It never worked.

"I love you, Dani" Roya told her only daughter as she hung up the yellow kitchen phone on the wall and stepped out of the tangle of eighteen foot long, stretched out cord, a by product of Dani's teenage years and her many hours of testing the limits of the phone cord to achieve privacy from her parents. Jack remembered when his stubborn daughter would still abide by his decisions, even if she slung attitude about it, fondly. _If only she were fifteen again_ he thought.

"She okay?" Jack questioned. Despite being determinedly unhappy about Dani's choice in partners and her bull headedness - he still loved his daughter and came by his worry fairly. Dani was in shark-infested waters with no idea what lurked below the surface. And despite his cheery smile, Jack knew Charlie Crews was capable of great violence if adequately provoked. He did not want his headstrong daughter around the man and was going to do everything in his power to get her out of this ill conceived partnership.

"She's been discharged from the hospital" Roya pronounced with a smile. Dani made a rather swift recovery - partly because of her level of fitness and youth and in no small part due to her daughter's reluctance to be confined to bed for any period of time. When Dani was a child, she had to be on death's door to stay in bed and subsequently rarely if ever missed a day of school. Roya believed Dani bright enough to be a doctor or a lawyer, but ever her father's daughter Dani had never wanted to be anything but a cop, since she was eight years old.

"I'll get the car and we can pick her up" he offered reaching for his cell to push back his meeting. Dani came first; his family always came first.

"There is no need. Charlie is taking her home." Roya told him.

Jack's eyes narrowed at the mention of the man's name. Roya insisted on "Charlie" - not Crews, Charlie- and Jack was fairly certain she did it just to annoy him. He made no secret of his distaste for Dani's soon to be replaced partner. His wife on the other hand was quite fond of the young man and welcoming of his presence within their tight knit family circle. It chaffed Jack but he was in the doghouse already so he kept quiet on the subject, Roya already knew his feelings about the man. It seemed the tall, handsome, disarming red haired man could charm the socks of all the Reese women, which really pissed Jack off.

"What? Taking her to whose home?" Jack said shocked. "She'll need someone to watch over her, to help her out….she's not ready to be left alone" Jack counseled having seen his fair share of on the job injuries in his 25 years with the department.

"She will not be alone. She will be with Charlie" Roya smiled sweetly at him. Jack turned his back and slammed the door on his way out of the house muttering curses under his breath and Roya could have sworn she heard him growl. Unlike her husband, Roya shared the unshakeable faith Dani had in Charlie Crews. She knew the man would protect her daughter with his life and appreciated that Dani bowed to his will - a feat virtually unachievable for anyone else. This alone spoke volumes to Roya about her daughter's connection to her partner, with the checkered past. Sometimes people, like things were not at all what they seemed.

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"Sergeant Seever" Tidwell called his favorite Cylon officer "I need your help with a special project" he spoke into the phone.

"Sure Captain, what's the job?" Jane Seever asked eager to help the Captain of Detectives.

"I need you to find everything in the archives about the Bank of LA" Tidwell said actually unsure of what he was fishing for.

"The robbery?" Seever asked.

"Uh….yeah…" he bluffed "That was when? I forget" he continued the ruse.

"1991 - $18 million stolen, all five bank robbers shot dead and the money never recovered" Jane recited the facts everyone who grew up in LA knew by heart. "Still unsolved as far as I know"

"Yeah…" Tidwell smiled. He had found the right woman for the job in Jane Seever. She was tenacious, meticulous and scary smart. "Get everything – and Seever – this is close hold. No one but you and I are to know about this – you got me?"

"Got it Captain." Seever agreed. He knew the minute they hung up she would begin digging and would leave no stone unturned. If there was something to be known about the Bank of LA robbery, Seever would find it for him. Seever was relentless and efficient, just like a robot, only she smiled a lot – like someone else he knew – the tall red haired detective who was absent from his desk yet again.

Tidwell knew better than to ask; Crews was with Reese. It was becoming increasingly difficult to find them more than eight feet apart ever since the shooting. Tidwell grimaced "Not good for Tidwell, not good at all" he told himself.

********************************************************************************************************************************

Jack Reese pulled his champagne Cadillac Sedan Deville to the curb. Charlie Crews was not the only one with good taste in cars he thought as he flipped down his visor and examined himself in the mirror. It seemed like he'd aged fifty years in the last ten. Gone was the handsome dark haired black Irishman he'd been in his youth and prime. An old man stared back at him from the mirror. Old he thought but not dead, not yet anyway and still capable of protecting his family from his "friends", the department and if necessary, from Charlie Crews.

He noticed the moment the dark sedan pulled around the corner behind him and followed it with his eyes all the way to the curb. His old friend climbed from behind the wheel and walked to the rear of Jack's car. The man opened the passenger door and climbed into the backseat.

"This is dangerous Jack. It had better be important" his old friend warned.

"It's Dani. She's way too close to this thing, way too close to Crews. I need you to split them up… to get her assigned somewhere away from him." Jack demanded.

"We put them together because you said she could be controlled. Are you telling us you can't control your daughter, Jack?" the man said in a threatening tone.

"Look, can you help me or not?" Jack said biting back an outburst.

"We expect your daughter to be there for us when we need her Jack" the man continued insidiously "can she be relied upon or not?" he asked - all business.

Jack realized this man was never his friend at all. He was being used and "they" wanted to use Dani. This was incredibly dangerous for his daughter, not because of anything Crews had done, but because of him – her own father and what he'd done all those years ago.

"Jack?" the man prompted him for an answer "can your daughter be relied upon?"

Jack adjusted the mirror to look the man in the face "not by you" he sneered.

"I see" the man said studying his nails. "If she's not an asset to us, then we must make the assumption she's become a liability, Jack. And you know how we handle liabilities?" he left the veiled threat hanging and looked up making eye contact. "Get control of her Jack, or we won't be responsible for what happens to her" he threatened before climbing out of the car.

The man leaned back in and added "Oh, and don't call me again. If we need something, we'll let you know" before shutting the door and walking away.

Jack waited until the car pulled away before releasing a string of expletives that would make a sailor blush and repeatedly pounding on his steering wheel. Jack Reese climbed out his car and paced along the sidewalk like a caged beast. He ran his hand through his thick white hair trying to think of some other option beside the one he was contemplating. Jack was madder than a werewolf at midnight on a full moon. There was really only one thing left to do to protect Dani.

He would have to ask Charlie Crews for help and that was something Jack Reese wasn't prepared for, thought he'd never have to ask – or had told himself he would never need. It actually physically turned his stomach to think about it. But only someone tough enough, stubborn enough, resilient enough to survive twelve years in prison might stand any chance of protecting Dani from his former "friends". Jack Reese swallowed hard realizing he was about to change sides again, this time perhaps for the last time.


	12. Chapter 12 Love & Bullets

**Love and Bullets….**

Charlie's cell rang in the middle of pizza. He glanced at the number and grimaced – Tidwell. Crews was not at work, Dani was not in the hospital and the Captain would not be pleased. _At least I had the good sense to look at the number before answering, _Charlie thought to himself, grabbing a slice of pizza and heading out of earshot of Dani Reese. "I'll be right back, just gotta grab some napkins" he fibbed.

"Crews" he answered, knowing he was about to blow the uneasy truce between himself and his boss in the next few minutes. He could almost hear the frustration in Tidwell's breath before the man actually spoke.

"Detective Crews" Tidwell started icily "is the City of Los Angeles paying you to enforce the law these days? or are we just paying for your charm and good looks?"

"Captain…" Charlie started.

"Can it Crews." Tidwell snapped "Where are you? No, better question – where is Detective Reese?"

"At home?" Charlie tried for a middle of the road non-committal response, wincing as he heard Tidwell's intake of breath. No way that was going to fly.

"Nice try, wise ass. I called the hospital. They said she was released into your custody and she's not answering her home phone or her cell, so unless she's run off to Mexico with Antonio Banderas, she'd better be with you." Tidwell groused.

Charlie had to admit Tidwell could be quite witty when provoked_. Too bad it was going to end in a battle of two men over a very pretty girl, they could have been friends_ Charlie thought.

Dani Reese would not be Tidwell's girl unless that was her choice, Charlie committed, not because he was too scared to speak up. Time to throw down the gauntlet, he decided.

"She's here" Charlie's tone changed to serious and his voice deepened "with me".

The tone and tenor of his voice left no question - Charlie didn't just mean physically, and at the moment - he meant to convey Dani Reese was with him now and would be from now on. He just hoped he wasn't overstating his position, after all the choice was hers, not his.

There was silence on the other end of the phone as Tidwell received the news he knew as coming, like a sucker punch to the solar plexus. He continued more weakly and Charlie knew the metaphysical punch was delivered effectively "if you aren't going to come to work Crews you need to tell payroll you are on vacation."

"I understand" Charlie evenly replied "won't happen again Captain" he promised.

Tidwell then finished strong "Detective Reese is still on sick leave, but you are not. As both of your boss, I need to know where my Detectives are." Tidwell continued angrily "and that means if you are still interested in being a Detective in this Department, Crews you'll either be at work or on vacation, no more of this disappearing act. Are we clear?"

"Crystal, Captain" Charlie answered. Tidwell simply hung up. Crews couldn't blame the man. He'd let Tidwell beat up on him, because in the end – Crews won - he got Dani.

Charlie slid the phone into his pocket beginning to envision how we would explain his absence and the reason for the private phone call to Dani, but it was unnecessary.

He returned to find his partner dozing on the couch. Barely able to keep her eyes on the paper in front of her Dani had given in to the impulse to rest for just a moment and fallen into a deep, restful sleep.

Charlie stood watching her, the gentle rise and fall of her chest and the way her dark hair fell across her face. He was mesmerized by the stillness of Dani Reese at times like these. She was generally so active, almost always in motion, at work that Charlie rarely had the opportunity to just watch her breath. He found every single detail of her amazing - in the way that you could simply look at a flower and sense it's beauty without ever touching it's soft petals or smelling it's heady bouquet.

He withdrew to his bedroom to make sure the coverlet was pulled back, the pillows right and the drapes drawn to cast the room in shadow, before he returned to carry her upstairs to his bed. She was so exhausted from the day's activity, Dani barely stirred as he lifted her small, light frame from the couch and ascended the stairs. He carefully placed her into his large bed and pulled the coverlet up over her sleeping form to keep her warm. Dani mumbled something and reached for him. "Crews… she implored softly from the embrace of slumber "don't go."

"I'm right here, honey. I'm not going anywhere." Charlie promised her and he'd never meant something so completely and sincerely in his life.

**************************************************************************************

Charlie waited for his partner to slip into a deep sleep, cushioned between a thick comforter and giant fluffy pillows. Ever since Pelican Bay and his utilitarian twin rack with a thin, lumpy mattress, a nice bed was one of Charlie's most essential guilty pleasures. He was pleased that Reese could benefit from his interest in having such a luxurious bed. She deserved to be pampered, but she'd never tolerate it.

He padded quietly from the room on bare feet in just his socks, so he would not wake Dani and quietly but efficiently began to clean up the pizza box and files from the couch. He planned to take Rayborne's file upstairs for a little light reading while he watched over Dani, but a sharp rap at his front door surprised him.

Crews walked to his front door perplexed. Unless Tidwell was sitting in the driveway when he called, there was no way Dani's ex could have made it to his house that quick. Having been on the receiving end of a bullet by just opening his door without looking Charlie was more than a bit apprehensive when he opened the large door inward to reveal an angry and stern looking Jack Reese.

"Jack" he spoke his surprise apparent. "She's fine, she's sleeping" explaining what he was certain the elder Reese was there about. Charlie knew Jack Reese did not want him around Dani and was probably there to bundle her up and take her home to Roya.

"I'm not here for that." Jack spoke sharply "We need to talk, Crews. Dani's in danger." And with that Charlie Crews swung the door open completely, welcoming the man - he was certain wanted him dead - into his home.

Anything that threatened Dani meant checking his ego, sublimating his own distrust, distaste and disgust of Jack and working with even someone who clearly hated him. Dani came first – in that he and Jack Reese were in total agreement.

Charlie still conscious he held Mickey Rayborn's LAPD personnel file in his hand, tucked the folder behind his back and ushered Jack Reese into his living room, which until just a few moments ago had held nothing more threatening than a relaxed and happy Dani Reese and a pepperoni pizza.

Jack Reese did not sit, he paced, raged like a caged animal and Crews watched silently until the man was ready to, able to speak. "This is my fault" he began "all that goddamned money can't buy you anything important, you know?"

Charlie nodded unsure if Jack was referring to Crews undisclosed settlement or the money from the Bank of LA robbery.

Crews said nothing, unsure if there was anything he could say that would wind Jack down or if he just needed to wear himself out. Sometimes Dani was like this – wound so tight that he thought she might explode or unravel, but his partner always managed to hold it together. It would appear that character trait came from her high-strung father.

"Is she here?" Jack finally asked, more quietly, conspiratorially. Charlie nodded. "Where? I need to see her…just see that's she's safe," the older man admitted in a moment of rare humanity. At that moment, Jack Reese was not a monster, or a criminal or a pawn in a larger conspiracy – he was just a father concerned for his only daughter. Charlie gestured upstairs and then led the way to his darkened bedroom.

Once their eyes adjusted to the darkness, both men could see Dani who looked small, like a child, buried in the giant bed beneath layers of covers and surrounded by pillows. She slept peacefully, undisturbed by their presence. Jack sighed and ran a shaky hand through his hair.

The two men stood stiffly side by side, watching the young woman they both loved sleeping, her dark hair contrasting with the light sheets and her slight form barely making a shape under the bedding. Charlie sensed some of the tension ease from Jack Reese seeing his daughter safe, even if it was in Crews' bed.

Something had recently occurred which frightened Jack and Charlie only knew one thing that did that – "them" – the shadowy group of connected men who threatened to bring down the whole house of cards if Jack Reese did not play ball. The words from his illicit wiretap echoed in Charlie's head "not for nothing Jack, there were six, there are five, there could just as easily be four". Charlie still had no idea what it meant, but it was the only other time he sensed fear in Jack Reese before today.

After a time, Jack moved to his daughter's bedside and brushed an errant hair from her cheek. He smiled as she frowned and wriggled deeper into the bed. Charlie thought Jack looked as if he was remembering something from Dani's childhood. But when she mumbled Charlie's name like a plea and Jack's countenance darkened again. He looked up sharply, as if Crews' name off his daughter's lips was the ultimate betrayal.

Charlie ignored Jack and moved to Dani's side examining the water he'd left there undisturbed and the two painkillers he'd left on the bedside table likewise remained unconsumed. The discomfort was waking her, he knew_. Tenacity and stubbornness were Dani's dominant personality traits; her strength was also her weakness_ he thought as Charlie sat on the bed beside her and slid his arm under her, talking in low tones. "Honey, sit up. I want you to take these pain meds," he said reaching for the water. "Drink this," he said putting the glass into her hand.

Dani groggily looked at the water and then frowned at him. "I don't wanna…" she complained like a small child.

"Shhh" he hushed her. "You have to rest or you're never getting back to work," he continued as he pressed the pain capsules into her other hand. "Take these and go back to sleep, honey" Charlie looked at her holding her eyes. He knew her father was standing in the shadows, still and watchful. Dani eyed him skeptically.

"Suffering through pain doesn't mean you are tough, it just means you aren't smart enough to let someone you trust protect you, you know" he chided. "You do trust me right?" he asked quietly.

Dani relented "Ok, you win" but her eyes express both displeasure and pain. Then her eyes softened as she tipped her head back and swallowed the pills "I do trust you Crews" she said wiping her mouth. The look that passed between them was private, but Charlie was very aware Jack Reese was watching them – watching him.

Charlie held her eyes a moment and then ducked his head to break the intimate contact. He was afraid they would both reveal too much. Dani yawned, as he silently took the water from her and laid her back down carefully. She hissed as her injured side made contact with the mattress. Charlie without thinking leaned close and pressed a light kiss to her lips and then to her forehead. "I know it hurts, but be still, the meds will kick in soon, sweetheart".

Dani grumbled but did as he instructed and her eyes slid closed. Charlie had become so attuned to her breathing over the past week, he knew she was not asleep; he raised a finger to his lips and warned Jack urging continued silence.

"I'm going down stairs to put that pizza in the fridge and I'll be right back. Don't run off okay?" he joked lightly with her earning him a slight smile.

Then Dani did something he wasn't expecting and something she'd never done before; she reached for him, caressed his face and pulled him towards her to drink from his lips in a long, deep kiss. For Charlie the world dissolved, disappeared, and recrystalized in a better form; for Jack it spun and pitched wildly, then Dani released him with words guaranteed to stop his heart. "I love you, Charlie" his young partner admitted unaware her father stood ten feet away.


	13. Chapter 13 Buying Back Your Soul

**Buying Back Your Soul….**

Crews did not think there was anything Jack Reese could say or do that could bring him down from the mountain top from which he view the world with the new found knowledge that Dani Reese loved him. Charlie's heart hammered happily and madly, the house seemed hot and all the objects in it took on a new look and feel. He felt giddy.

Jack Reese on the other hand, looked like someone had just run over his dog.

"Look, Jack" Charlie began "I know you don't like me…okay...hate me… but Dani is"

"Save it Crews" Jack snapped. "You and my daughter are the least of my worries at this point" he admitted surprising Charlie.

Charlie arched his brows and sat down opposite what appeared to him to be - a broken man. A week ago, Charlie was on his knees in his driveway waiting for Jack Reese to beat him within an inch of his life and now the man actually seemed distressed. It was more than a bit disconcerting, but Charlie sat still and quiet.

After spending three years with Jack's daughter, Crews understood that Dani was more like her stern father than she'd ever admit and Reese did not speak until ready, but when she did speak it was usually worth the wait.

"How much do you know about the Bank of Los Angeles robbery, Crews?" Jack began.

"Just what I heard from other cops. It happened three years before I became a cop." Charlie said. "Rumors and conjecture mostly."

"I was there," Jack admitted. "You know that" he continued tersely. "Mickey's company had the private security gig on the bank and he had a fool proof plan to use some local hoods, who were totally expendable to actually pull the job. They were always supposed to die – they probably didn't know that, but we did. They came out with all that money and my team was set to ambush them and take the money. It went just as planned."

It was such a succinct and steady confession; it surprised Charlie. He sat silent, unable to speak, stunned to silence by the disclosure. He still didn't know how that translated to the Seybold murders, but in forty seconds Jack told him more than Charlie had been able to learn definitively in the past three years.

Jack continued, "it was perfect and then it all went to hell" he exhaled heavily. The man had just confessed to conspiracy, robbery and murder. Charlie wondered if it felt good to say it aloud, he'd heard confession was good for the soul, but no one he knew in prison actually ascribed to that theory.

"Crews? You with me?" Jack asked probably shocked by Charlie's silence. Crews simply nodded. "I was in, the proverbial made man, but it wasn't worth it. That money, none of that money was worth it, it cost me my soul and now it could cost Dani her life." He said looking down at his shoes, scuffing the ground like a pissed off ten year old.

Crews wondered if he'd misjudged Jack Reese, he seemed genuinely repentant and concerned for Dani. He still did not trust the man, but shifted in his seat leaning forward anxious to find out how Jack's choice all those years ago could reach out and harm Dani today.

Jack Reese raised his eyes and resumed his rigid, proud posture trying to gut out his confession to the man before him, the man damaged by the events they set in motion all those years ago. "You? What happened to you? That was Rayborn's idea. He wanted to bring you in, to continue the group. He said you were tough, smart and driven – Rayborn thought you'd fit in and perhaps one day take his place."

Charlie's eyes narrowed and darkened. People who barely knew him thought they could decide what he'd become. His life felt like a snowball rolling down hill gathering speed, careening wildly and leaving destruction in its wake. Everything that happened to him connected not to him or anything he'd accomplished or dreamed or sought after, but part of some organized conspiracy Charlie knew nothing about and wanted no part of. It was a product of some wild unseen force like a natural disaster except this one was man made – one man made – Mickey Rayborn did this to him - decimated that part of his life. Hate colored Charlie's vision red as blinding anger edged at the corners of his vision.

"Kyle Hollis, that family, that wasn't supposed to happen, Hollis was out of control. The only one I could save was Rachel." Jack confessed his shame.

Charlie Crews closed his eyes and reached for his Zen, whispering his mantra to beat back the fires of hell "anger ruins joy, steals the goodness of my mind, makes my mouth same terrible things, overcoming anger brings peace of mind, leads to a mind without regrets" he spoke to himself.

_Move forward, not back_ he thought. _Concentrate on what's in front of you. Be here now._ "Dani" he whispered.

"Crews" Jack barked. Charlie opened his eyes and they were again the placid, unflappable, calm, clear blue of the ocean. Jack Reese returned a quizzical look, very much like one Dani would give him from time to time and Charlie smiled at the symmetry and the image of his young partner that his brain summoned. He thought of her asleep upstairs in his bed and her words echoed in his head "I love you, Charlie", he held onto that thought, that memory, that future.

"How does this endanger Dani?" Crew said levelly and as cool as ice.

Right to the point, direct, Jack respected that. Charlie Crews was calm under pressure, he envied that. Crews stared at him, through him. Jack began to appreciate what Mickey saw in the man. He was hard, fierce and fearless; Crews was determined and Jack hoped that determination would be sufficient to protect Dani from her father's missteps and mistakes.

"I got Dani into Narcotics – right out of the Academy. It was supposed to be good for her, a springboard into investigations, move her ahead quickly. Dani never had a problem with moving up the ladder, she's a good cop, but my connections helped her. My friends helped her." Jack continued.

"Then there was that mess with the drugs and her relationship with that informant" Jack paused knowing he was about to go down another road he could not return from. "That guy's suicide was not voluntary and Dani does not know." He exhaled at the release of information and the leap of faith it constituted. "He had to die or he would have dragged my daughter down with him. I didn't kill him, but I asked for help and that's what I got."

Charlie considered the man on the sidewalk and Roman Nevikov – he cocked his head to the side recognizing symmetry between his actions and those of Jack Reese. Both of them would do almost anything to protect Dani. It was not a comfortable feeling for Charlie, he felt singed by the fires of hell – blackened, but still standing. He could see the road fork into darkness and he stood at a crossroads. A few more bad decisions, he could be Jack Reese... It was very uncomfortable for Charlie and made him feel itchy inside and sick to his stomach.

"Dani went to rehab" Jack continued, "she got right and she battled back. To his day, she does not know and she can never know Crews" he warned – but it was a formless, vacuous threat. Crews had now absolute power over him; only Charlie's affection for his daughter would keep the information safe.

"They let her back in, gave her another chance" he paused "with you." Jack stopped and let the implication set in.

Charlie gripped the edges of his chair, until his knuckles turned white. He bit the inside of his cheek, while the world spun around him. _Had Dani betrayed him? Had she like Connie only been willing to go so far? No! _He calmed himself. He knew Reese, she would not betray him, and she would stand beside him at his firing squad and no matter what Jack Reese said - Charlie would die believing that – believing in her.

"She didn't know. I was supposed to be able to control her, to direct her, but as you have no doubt learned Dani is not controllable. They counted on her being able to get to you – that part I guess she did." Jack said shaking his head. "Ironic, she did exactly what they wanted, but not because anyone told her to. No one, including me, expected her to fall for you, Crews."

Charlie released the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. His face showed relief despite his better effort to keep his features schooled.

"This is my fault Crews, not yours, not Dani's – mine." Jack shook his head, looking at his shoes. "She doesn't know. Like I'm guessing you didn't know?" He looked to Charlie for confirmation.

Charlie shook his head no, but didn't trust his voice to acknowledge his blindness verbally.

"Both of you damaged by a bunch of old men scheming to plan your futures" Jack said sounding almost sad about the situation.

Charlie cleared his throat, swallowed hard and firmly asked his question again "How does this endanger Dani?" eager to know how he could protect his partner.

"They expected her to be an asset. Now she's a major liability, Crews," he explained. "When Roman took her it was to get to you," Reese explained.

"That much I know" Charlie said darkly "but Roman Nevikov will never hurt anyone again and no one will harm Dani while I still draw breath" he promised.

"I'm counting on that Crews" Jack looked directly at the man. "I will help you all that I can, but I can no longer protect my daughter. I hope Mickey was right about you. That you are as tough as he thought, because you are going to have to have your head on a swivel. They will be coming for you both now" Jack warned.

"And Dani can't know about this…" Jack finished.

Charlie Crews shook his head in the negative. "I'm through hiding things from your daughter, Jack. She's my partner and I hope she'll be more than that in the future. You can't build a future on lies and half-truths" Crews pronounced. "She's not a child, she's a good cop and she deserves the truth" he paused then added "even if she hates you for it. I won't lie to her."

Jack knew Crews was right but he didn't have to like it. "She's hated me for years, but as long as you can keep her safe, then it will be worth it."

"And why is that Jack? Why does your daughter hate you? I've seen your family, your wife loves you, and Dani did at one time, what changed?" Charlie pressed.

Jack stared at him. "Christ Crews, you really are something. I don't know whether to laugh at your balls or knock you into next week" he said his tension easing.

After a long moment of staring Jack added, "I changed. I thought that money would bring us a better life, but it doesn't - does it Crews? Does your money, all that money, does it make up for what you lost? Does it make you happy?" Jack answered truthfully.

Charlie looked at him ruefully but recognized the absolute truth Jack offered and met him halfway "I won't offer anything, but if she asks I won't lie to her and Dani is a smart woman, she will figure this out. I've given you this opportunity before Jack, turn yourself in, and get right with your family. No one will harm Dani, you have my word on that, but I'm not throwing in with Rayborn and I won't throw in with you either Jack."

"I came here on my knees for your help Crews. You have no idea how hard that was." Jack stated flatly.

"I don't know what you want from me. You can't actually expect that I would agree to cover up murder and robbery. And yes, I know the money doesn't make me happy. But Dani does and I won't risk that for you or anyone else." Crews held firm.

Jack realized this the best he could hope for considering the circumstances. He'd played a big part in the total decimation of Charlie Crews' life, he'd effectively obfuscated Crews' efforts to determine why he became a pawn in a larger game for the past two years, and no less than a week ago, Jack Reese gave Crews a pretty solid beating right out front of this massive house of his. He considered that if Charlie Crews showed up on his porch asking for help, Jack wouldn't have let the man through the front door.

Only their combined interest in the continued health and safety of Dani Reese permitted them to be in the same room and draw the same air. Only Crews devotion to Jack's mercurial daughter could be relied upon to any degree – and in that - Crews was unassailable and for that - his stock in Jack's eyes rose considerably. Crews was seriously committed and totally devoted to Jack's daughter – none of them had planned for or projected that.

That factor and Dani's affection for and belief in her partner were the wild card in this dangerous game. With that, eternal vigilance and a whole lot of luck, they just might be able to save his young daughter, but it would be on Crews' terms – not Jack's.

"OK Crews, you win. We do this on your terms." Jack capitulated. "So is there anything else you just gotta know?" Jack said his voice tinged with anger, resentment and embarrassment. He knew penance would be involved in his long road back, but he never expected it to be done in Charlie Crews living room.

"Yeah" Charlie said and Jack's head shot up. "Why won't anyone tell me what Dani was like as a child?" He smiled.

Jack's shoulders relaxed and the man looked ready to collapse. "Don't suppose you got any beer in the house?" Reese asked again running his hand through his thick white hair.

"I think I could find a couple beers," Charlie offered.

Jack was beginning to see what Dani saw in the red haired man. Whereas Jack had taken from life, stolen, lied, cheated and killed - life had him; Crews conversely had been beaten by life, but still found the character and temerity to fight back and avoid the bitterness that consumed Jack. Dani was attracted to the brightness in Charlie's soul, an unwavering, strong, clear light that shone through the man's deeds and inhabited his countenance. Jack had no illusions that Crews wrestled with demons, but for now… the young man was winning.


	14. Chapter 14 Three in the Morning

**Three in the Morning…**

"Crews?" Dani asked reaching for him groggily. Charlie had fallen asleep propped up against the headboard, his hand in her hair and Rayborn's file in his lap. It was beyond late now, the middle of the night in fact. Charlie inclined his head to the left and then to the right trying to work out the kink in it from sleeping sitting up. He _really needed to sleep well one of these days_ he thought to himself. The hand tangled in Dani's hair moved to let her know he was there – close – she was not alone. She quieted for a moment and then moved to sit up.

"Honey, what is it? Does it hurt?" Charlie asked setting the file aside.

"You cheated Crews" she pronounced sounding a tiny bit wounded. He looked at her, then the file then back at her.

"Yeah…well, you fell asleep sweetheart" he excused himself with a smile.

"I'll get you some juice" he offered knowing her mouth would feel like cotton from the pain killers.

"How about you just come to bed Charlie?" and for the second time that day, Crews was speechless, breathless and his heart raced like an Indy car when they dropped the green flag.

"You want me to…." He stammered.

"Sleep Charlie. I want you to sleep." She said sounding tired again already.

"Here? With you?" he wanted to be absolutely sure that Dani was saying what he understood her to say. "Are you sure?"

"Yes" she countered softly.

Charlie pushed the forgotten file off onto the floor and slid down until he was laying beside her. He wanted to be here – in her now – more than he wanted to know anything about Rayborn or Jack Reese or the Bank of LA.

Charlie lay on his back atop the coverlet and Dani shot him an annoyed look. "What are you seven? I'm not going to give you cooties Crews" she teased in a patient tone, but somewhat demanding. He could tell she was beginning to feel better – better enough to grouse and grumble, to demand and disdain, Reese was returning to health and that made Charlie grin like the proverbial village idiot. And she wanted to sleep with him….

As her comment sunk in, penetrated Crews tired brain, Dani watched the light bulb go on behind his dim blue eyes and the sparkle return to them. He raised himself off the bed with an ease she envied and pulled back the coverlet to climb under it. He was wearing only black boxers, a grey t-shirt and socks. Dani cleared her throat and said simply "socks" with an arched eyebrow. Charlie smiled _if socks were the price of admission to Dani Reese's bed, he'd happy forgo them entirely until the day he died, _Charlie thought as he lost the offending articles and returned to her.

"I can barely move Crews. Throw me a bone here?" Dani offered.

Charlie smiled at her joke and slid closer putting his left arm high behind her and gently gathering her into his embrace. She stiffened as the effort caused her pain and took a deep ragged breath, her head buried in his chest. Then she rolled to her right putting her head on Charlie's shoulder and draping her left arm low across his belly, setting a riot of butterflies lose in his groin. She settled, gradually eased and then slung her left leg over his, tangling their legs together.

"Is this okay?" she asked.

Charlie couldn't speak. He wasn't sure he could breath, so he simply nodded and exhaled. He very softly trailed his right hand across the arm resting on his stomach, exploring the smooth skin of her arm and the toned muscle in her bicep and shoulder. He traced a path over her shirt to the juncture of her neck and shoulder and cupped his hand along her neck, his thumb caressing her jaw line.

"Charlie?" she questioned softly, sounding a tiny bit unsure.

"Uh-huh" he responded, incapable for the moment of higher brain function like speech. Her skin was so smooth, so soft, so warm, he just reveled in the feeling of his rougher palm and long fingers on her body.

"Tomorrow?" she bit her lip and continued "Tomorrow…. You're gonna tell me what it is you and my father were talking about tonight" she told him in an unfairly sultry tone. For the third time in six hours, Charlie felt his mouth go dry and mild panic set in.

"But that's tomorrow…" she told him as her hand traveled up his chest to his neck "for now…all I want you to do is kiss me" she said gently. She could feel his heart beating against his rib cage like hard rain on the roof at night. Charlie rolled them together until she was on her back, very carefully so he would not hurt her injured side.

He moved a length of her hair from her neck and trailed his fingers lightly along her exposed collarbone, eliciting a shudder. Two could play at this game, he bent close and breathed heated words next to her ear "are you sure that's all you want, honey?" before moving to a point just over her - poised but not ready to kiss her yet. Dani's smile was priceless, he could see her straight white teeth even in the darkness of his bedroom.

Charlie feinted and then withdrew as she reached for him with the lips, when she could move no further without pain he returned to her. "I'm kissing you remember?" he teased softly against her pout. "You never let me drive, Reese. Here I get to drive okay?" She nodded her assent with closed eyes waiting for him.

Charlie touched his lips to her and felt the release of the breath she'd been holding waiting for him. His kiss was gentle, sweet and slow. He drew breath from her as she released it and forced her to break the kiss for air. He felt her intake of air and knew that her lungs would need some recovery, but he knew just the exercise for that…kissing. Charlie thought kissing Dani Reese was better than oranges, better than strawberries, better than any fruit he could think of. She tasted so good to him, indescribably good.

Dani licked her lips and her eyes returned to his. "Crews" she breathed, unable to summon much else besides his name. Charlie decided he truly loved the sound of his name off her lips and promised himself he'd never tired of hearing it. And when that day came she was strong enough to bear it, he'd make her scream it repeatedly as he pleasured her to distraction, in this very room.

Until then he could still kiss her, he thought placing a trail of small kisses up her neckline to her ear. "Are you okay, honey?" he questioned softly, still concerned for her.

"No" she pouted "you're driving me crazy here" she emphasized the word "driving" for effect "and I can't really move. I want to move Charlie, I really want to move" her breathing was labored and he withdrew looking deep into her eyes.

"I don't wanna hurt you, sweetheart. I never wanna hurt you" he promised with his whole heart. She bit her lip and he knew she was hurting, but she wanted more. "We'll do this – soon, but for now you need to take more meds and rest."

"I don't want that stuff, Charlie" she resisted "I don't like feeling dopey and out of place in time."

"Just think of it as walking a mile in my shoes" he teased as he twisted to retrieve the pill bottle and the water glass. "Just take one, to take the edge off" he offered.

Dani shook her head. Her eyes fell to his chest and she sorrowfully admitted her fears "You don't understand Charlie, those pills are poison to me. They are so easy and so good, but I can't…." and then it made sense to him. She didn't want to get addicted to something else.

"Okay, okay… I get it…honey I'm sorry I didn't understand earlier. You don't have to take anything, we'll get through this together. Shhh" he offered holding her close and rolling onto his back. "I know this breathing exercise…"

Dani snorted a laugh at his Zen breathing exercise comment "I know. Me too, Crews. Just breathe right?"

"How'd you know?" he joked dropping kisses into her hair and letting silence descend on them in the dark.

"Why didn't you say something before?" he asked quietly.

"What you mean like when you were in here with my dad?" she countered.

Charlie sighed and looked down at her in the dark. His partner as always sharp as a razor, even doped up she was sharper than half the cops in the department and Dani never missed anything. He should have known she wouldn't miss her own father skulking in the corner of the room.

"Thought you were sleeping then" he offered "how'd you know?" genuinely interested in what tipped her off.

"His aftershave." She stated flatly. "My father has worn Old Spice for years and unless you've recently had money problems I don't know about - your tastes are more expensive. Cool Water I think is your cologne."

"Beautiful and with a nose like a bloodhound what more could you want in a girl?" Charlie teased stroking her hair.

"Watch it, Mister" Dani warned "I'm not gonna be laid up too long, so enjoy it while you can. I'll be kicking your ass again by the end of next month" she yawned tired again.

"Let's not fight, I know something better for recuperating" he said seductively returning his lips to hers for a gentle kiss. "I promise it'll make you happy…"

She snuggled into his shoulder and warned "it better not be mediation, Crews."

He smiled and held her close. _Nope…not mediation at all_ Charlie thought.


	15. Chapter 15 The Ties that Bind

**The Ties That Bind….**

As Kevin Tidwell poured over the details Seever dug up for him on the Bank of Los Angeles robbery, one name seemed to attract his attention over all the rest – Captain Jack Reese, SWAT Commander and Dani's father.

He stopped, staring out through his blinds into the bay at her empty desk and envisioned the white haired man who climbed from Crews' car at the hospital just over a week ago. Then his eyes narrowed as he remembered Crews' tone on the phone and the fact that Crews just took an entire week's vacation - Tidwell knew it was to be with Dani.

Tidwell had only talked to Dani once in the six days since she'd been discharged and she seemed so far away. He knew she was just across town, but she might just as well have been on Mars. How could someone like him compete with Crews? The man was filthy rich; he drove fantastically exotic cars, dressed like a movie star and was everything Tidwell wasn't. Did he have to be red haired and blue eyed too? And the Zen thing, well that just pissed Tidwell off – it was like Crews was a comic book hero. Geez! He shook his jealously out of his head and refocused on the files in front of him.

Despite Seever's prodigious research ability, no one had been able to place Jack Reese's personnel jacket on his desk - yet. Tidwell had confidence in Jane Seever's tenacity and desire to succeed, but could not know Jack's file was lying on the marble countertop in Charlie Crews' kitchen while he had Seever turning over boxes in archives looking for it.

Eighteen million dollars vanished, not like it was logged into evidence and some of it disappeared – like would happen back in the United States of New York City. It was just gone and you didn't need to be a rocket scientist to know the cops took it. Of course, the cops took it, Tidwell thought. And one of those cops was Dani's father. It made sense, it didn't make sense to Tidwell yet, but to someone this all made sense.

His phone rang and Tidwell answered absently "Homicide, Captain Tidwell". There was a pregnant pause on the line, during which he looked at the caller ID and paled when he saw the number displayed.

"Are you enjoying your position there, Captain?" the voice on the other end of the phone asked insidiously.

"Uh, yeah" he fingered his collar as it suddenly felt too tight.

"Doesn't LA have enough homicides to keep you busy, Captain?" the voice inquired.

Tidwell gulped but said nothing. "The Bank of LA robbery really isn't why you were brought out here. See that you stay focused on what we brought you here for" the disembodied voice threatened.

"And if I don't?" Tidwell asked, pissed off at being pushed around by someone he couldn't look in the eye.

"Well, that DA in New York is still very interested in you. Would you like to take your chances with an indictment and maybe a stint in Riker's or keep enjoying the sunshine, Captain?" the snide voice pushed again.

"I'm fine where I am," Tidwell said gritting his teeth.

"Leave Bank of LA alone or you could find yourself back east faster than you want. Do we understand each other, Captain?" the phantom caller asked.

"Yeah" Tidwell sighed. The voice on the other end was replaced by the sound of an empty line. Bastard hung up on me, Tidwell thought, slamming the receiver down in its cradle.

He closed the file and resigned himself to the piles of casework littering his desk, looking around he wondered if "they" could see him in his office or just knew he was poking around. He made a note to himself to check the place for pinhole cameras later when the bullpen cleared out, just to be certain he wasn't being watched.

**********************************************************************************************************************************

Four days had passed since Dani was discharged from the hospital, four days and nights she'd spent in the pleasant company of Charlie Crews, the last man she'd ever have expected to fall in love with. He was coincidentally a man her father hated and after four days of examining Crews' "off the books" investigation – she was pretty sure she knew why. Jack Reese probably played a big roll in Crews going to prison for a very long time.

Kyle Hollis, who confessed to the Seybolt killings, was her father's confidential informant. Snitches for cops, in those days, pretty much did their bidding. Dani also knew her father was a principal player in the Bank of LA robbery and probably brought the money home to their house for a time. But none of that explained why her father would come to see Crews, to talk with him and Dani thought it was time that she knew.

"So…." She began "what did you and my father talk about the other night?" wincing as she rose off the couch gathering his glass and hers to take into the kitchen.

Charlie looked up surprised, kind of hoping she'd forgotten since she was still weak and doped up her first night home. "Uh.. He came by to see how you were…." He flipped a page in a file and tried not to finish the sentence.

"And?" Dani arched her eyebrows at him.

"And…. he told me about what you were like when you were a little girl, we had a couple beers and he left" Charlie hinted at some of what had happened, but stayed away from the heavy stuff.

"You and my dad had beers?" Dani said incredulously.

Charlie chuckled and leaned way back on the couch, opening his long frame and stretching "Yeah, we did."

Dani stood halfway between the kitchen and living room, glasses in hand and arched her eyebrows at him. It was a distinctively Reese way of demanding more. He thought about his mother and how she could stare him down as a boy and decided Reese had the same gift and looked at his ceiling to escape her penetrating gaze. Spider webs in the corners of the vaulted ceiling annoyed him - _gotta get Ted to get an exterminator out here,_ he thought ignoring the problem in front of him for the moment.

"I heard all about you learning to ride a bike, adventures in roller skating and as it turns out you've always been stubborn, at least that's how it seems from the stories your dad tells" he played with the new found knowledge and it's effect on his partner who held all her cards so close to the vest.

When he looked down Dani was still staring, but her eyes were now narrowed and her lips pursed. Charlie continued "He told me about Chester" teasing and Dani paled.

"I didn't take you for a teddy bear kinda kid, Reese" Charlie winked at her.

"It wasn't a bear it was a rabbit," Reese grumbled under her breath, looking at her feet and scuffing the floor – another habit she shared with her father. Deep down under all that toughness, Charlie could see the stubborn little girl with long dark hair, deep expressive eyes and the shy smile in the photo Jack Reese showed him from his wallet that night and it made him smile from the inside out.

"You were a cute kid, Reese," he said rising off the couch and approaching her.

"Did you know your dad still carries a picture of you in his wallet?" She lifted her eyes to meet his and shook her head "no", silently. "He does" Charlie said softly "and when he talks about you, it's hard to believe he's the same man in those files," he admitted to himself and her.

They both looked back at the array of materials and information strewn across the coffee table, counter top and floor. "The truth isn't there either, honey," Charlie promised her. "It's here" he touched his heart "and here" gently touching hers.

"I know that Charlie" Reese admitted softly. Then her look became wry and she turned to look at him. "I also know that my father did not come here to bury the hatchet and sing kumbaya with you Crews. So spill it." Her grin was like that of an impish child. She was not angry, but not done either.

Charlie gathered her into his arms and kissed the top of her head. He sighed, resigned to not lying to his partner, but not really wanting to get into the drama with her.

The last three days had been heavenly, sleeping with her curled alongside him well into the late morning, followed by him making blueberry pancakes, bacon and fresh squeezed OJ for breakfast and then driving out somewhere for the fancy triple espresso coffee mixtures Dani loved. They had taken his car on long drives together listening to a radio playing a rock station Dani liked in the background as they meandered up the coast road or into the mountains.

Dani could not return the gesture because her hands were full, so he took the glasses from her and walked them to the sink. By the time he returned she had hobbled back to the couch, holding her side and breathing solidly, but hard. "Crews?" she demanded.

"He was here to warn me," Charlie said. His look became hard and dark as he finished "Apparently, we've attracted the attention of some people who are dangerous – to both of us."

"What kind of people?" Dani asked as she returned to their makeshift command center on the couch.

"Mickey Rayborn's kind of people" Charlie said darkly.

Dani said nothing and Charlie knew she was thinking about Rayborn. He remembered the photo Amanda Puryer had of Reese on Rayborn's boat, but said nothing and waited for her to speak. Charlie knew people liked to fill a void – even Dani.

"I went to see him. Rayborn. I went to see him on his boat, when I was working at the FBI" Dani volunteered. "The FBI wanted information on you."

"And you thought Rayborn had information on me?" Charlie wondered aloud.

"No, but the FBI knew you followed Rayborn, had contact with him" she divulged "and they wanted to know why….so did I" she eyed him hard.

Charlie said nothing. He continued to look her in the eye, but neither of them gave an inch. Reese's breathing normalized and she leveled her gaze and continued "I talked to Rayborn about you, but he just toyed with me, he told me nothing useful."

This intrigued Charlie and he slid forward on the couch to ask his question "Why did you want to know about Rayborn and me? For the FBI? Or for yourself?"

Dani inclined her head and her eyes became unreadable like she was remembering something or deciding something, then she spoke "I'm not sure. The question was there and I'm not sure why I went, but in the end I decided that whatever I had learned….whatever that was….wasn't anything. It was a fist full of water. The harder I tried to hold onto it, the more it got away from me."

"That's very…." Charlie began.

"Don't you dare say Zen" she interrupted challenging him with her eyebrows and tone, but smiling.

"Uh…..enlightened" he countered. Dani narrowed her eyes. He hadn't said it and yet he'd said it. They were becoming more and more alike, more in synch and it wasn't conscious or intentional but she could feel it.

Sometimes she'd catch herself thinking something Crews always said or hear him quip some smart comment she knew had come from her earlier. Married couples did it after a time, pick up each other's mannerisms and speech patterns, so it made sense partners would, but it still surprised and slightly unsettled Dani, that Crews could be that close, that fast – and that they fit together so seamlessly.

He had not answered her question. He'd danced around it and avoided it, but never lied directly to her. She knew he was hiding something, the question was – was it to protect himself, her or her father, with Charlie one could never be entirely sure. It preoccupied her to the extent his next comment caught her off balance.

"Reese?" Charlie danced along a knife's edge, knowing he was in a dangerous area "About the FBI?" he began "Didn't Tidwell send you there because he said it would be good for your career?" Charlie asked plainly.

"What about it?" Dani said a little defensively. Charlie needed to remember it was a little less than a week ago, Dani walked away from Kevin Tidwell and towards him. Tread softly, he thought.

"He said the FBI wanted a Detective on loan and it would be good for you, right?" he probed gently. Charlie knew now the FBI had all been Roman's men, they were always Roman's men, which meant Dani going to the FBI was about him. It was why they stonewalled Tidwell and Charlie when they first began looking for Reese and why when Roman began cleaning up, they all died – together and violently.

But Reese didn't know. He needed to show her – without looking like he was showing her. _Zen doesn't teach it points_, Charlie thought, taking his cue from the art and practice that saved him in dark moments.

"Did they ever ask you to do anything there?" Charlie questioned softly.

He could see the wheels turn in the Dani's head as she began to use her sharp analytical mind to examine the nuances of her assignment to the FBI and the expression in her eyes when the possibility she was set up by the man she was sleeping with – possibly thought she could learn to love, was not something Charlie enjoyed watching.

He knew that Dani's history with men was not a pretty one and this might be more painful than enlightening, but Crews no longer thought Tidwell's presence, interest in Dani or helping her into a slot at the FBI was coincidence. He long ago developed distrust for the man, but at first he chalked it up to a twinge of jealousy over his young, beautiful partner. Now he knew it was one part gut instinct and one part possessiveness, never sure which part was stronger.

Still Charlie didn't say anything. He let her come to the conclusion on her own.

"All they ever asked me about was you" she spoke her thoughts aloud, no longer looking at him, looking through him _"_Tidwell didn't send them an LAPD officer, he sent them me – your partner." she said more softly as she let the insidiousness of the set up sink in "it was always about you"_. _Rayborn's words echoed back in Charlie's head. _"It's always been about you Charlie, even that animal Roman knew that." _

Charlie's world spun and listed to one side, he felt unbalanced, as she confirmed his worst fears. If he wanted to be the unwobbling pivot at the center of an ever-revolving universe, he never meant like this. This was about the farthest he could get from it. He felt like if he were standing he'd fall over from his lack of equilibrium. He glanced at Dani – a stable point upon which to fix himself. He looked up just in time to see her stumble, metaphorically.

As what she was involved in began to permeate her brain, Dani became increasingly angry. Charlie watched as the anger transformed her countenance. Her eyes narrowed, her brown eyes darkened to nearly black and her brow furrowed deeply. He could see her jaw set hard as she clinched her teeth and her shoulders tensed. He hated doing this to her, but she needed to understand what they were up against.

Far from making her untethered - anger centered, grounded and anchored Dani. It kept her in the now. Fierceness inhabited her face and Charlie understood that on some level Dani Reese was a woman to be feared.


	16. Chapter 16 Powder Keg

**Powder Keg….**

"Where are you going?" Charlie asked.

Dani grabbed his keys and hobbled towards the door.

At that precise moment, Charlie could see the stubborn streak in his daughter Jack illustrated with stories the other night. He could envision a determined little eight year old, Dani Reese, pushing her bicycle up the driveway, refusing to give up – skinned knees and all. But as an adult, her fierceness manifested itself in very self-destructive ways, dangerous ways. Her temper was her weakness, she needed peace, she needed calm, and she needed Zen - perhaps more than he did.

"To get some answers" she gritted through her teeth, wincing at the effort it took to walk to the car.

Charlie easily kept up with her and wrapped his long body around hers effectively arresting her movement. "Honey you can't go blasting in there guns blazing, eyes on fire. No matter how gratifying it might be - you won't learn anything and will only expose us further" he counseled.

"Crews let me go," she said angrily, trying to shrug him off.

"No" he pronounced tightening his embrace. "Listen to me Dani." He hissed in her ear. She stilled, because fighting him was ineffectual and tiring, but she was no less angry.

"That sonofabitch set me up" she ranted "he toyed with me, pursued me, gained my trust and then set me up" still furious she continued "and it was to get to you – you….you should be an angry as I am."

"I can't believe I'm going to do this, but…." Charlie began to counsel his mercurial partner "we need to be more patient, we need to think this through." He paused a moment and added "and I am pissed at him, but not for anything he did to me – I'm sorry that you got used and hurt in the process". Dani just grumbled in response, but held her tongue.

Charlie attempted some of the Zen she so much needed on her "You know…holding onto to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone – the only one who gets burned is you."

"He's gonna wish all I had was a hot coal." Dani threatened darkly. "I don't want to think, I want to kill him." She looked like an angry Hindu goddess, the kind who could raze villages to the ground. _She was so goddamned hot when she was pissed off _Charlie thought, but kept that to himself.

"No, honey, no." He held her tightly and watched as beads of sweat emerged on her lip and in the edges of her hairline from the physical exertion. Anger was fueling her and Dani was not well enough for what she was attempting, but trying to talk her out of it was futile. Charlie realized if her just held on, she would wear herself out, but a healthy Dani Reese would be a real wildcat.

_Uncontrollable _her father had said – he sure knew Dani. Furious was another word.

Charlie didn't know what else to say to her, so he settled for simply holding her. He loosened his grip and stroked her hair. "Honey, please…." He said kissing her temple lightly and tasting the saltiness of her sweat there. He could feel the anger slowly leave her body like heat from the stones in a sauna, as she relaxed into his embrace. Gradually, she leaned more heavily against him and her shoulders relaxed. Charlie leaned in close and kissed her neckline and nuzzled her jaw and earlobe.

"I know what you are doing" she said sounding as tired as she had in the hospital.

"What's that?" Charlie teased, "Handling you?"

She nodded against his shoulder. She'd worn herself out, her fury was like a sugar high, and once it burnt off she was entirely spent. Charlie gently turned her and began walk towards the house. Nothing was said, she'd didn't admit defeat but allowed him to steer her towards the safety, warmth and comfort of home. Part of her welcomed it, feeling safe and secure in the confines of Charlie's gigantic house and within his arms.

As they reached the stairs, she struggled with the climb, looking up at the long spiraling flight of stairs with a certain amount of trepidation. Charlie stepped in front of her capturing her eyes, they showed tiredness, but not defeat, never would this spirited woman be defeated he knew. "Sweetheart, let me help you" he gently requested of her – no one could force Dani Reese to do anything.

She looked at him, through him and then reached to caress his face. "We shoulda gone to my house," she told him tiredly "I don't have any stairs" she said smiling shyly.

Her eyes wore the same glaze they had in the hospital, pain, she was in pain and that Charlie simply could not bear. He swept her up in his arms and carried her to his bed, gently placing her there under the covers and climbing in beside her. Dani Reese, as it turned out, did not like to sleep alone.

Dani fell asleep right away, leaving Charlie time to think about where they were and where they might be going next. The easy answer was back to work, but that held dangers for them too. Dangers beyond the ones they could see, beyond Tidwell.

Roman had spoken the truth to him the day he and Dani first arrested him for throwing Lena from that window _"did you ever think it was one of them who set you up?"_ Charlie now realized the only safety either of them had was the other, but that's what being partners was about. It didn't hurt that he loved his partner with all his heart.

Looking down, he saw her features relaxed and peaceful, he wanted that for her – peace. But it would take some doing. Charlie stroked her long dark hair tangling his hand in the softness, kissed her softly on the top of her head and surrendered to sleep in her light embrace.

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Dani woke late in the night, to find herself wrapped in the warm embrace of Charlie Crews. He snored lightly, but was sound asleep. She examined him in the light from sliver of silvery moonlight beaming through his open window. His chest littered with scars and a light dusting of orange hair, looking like a flower found unexpectedly in the barren desert landscape. She stroked his chest and she could swear he purred. Charlie was a lot of things – dark and dangerous, so incredibly gentle and patient, but capable of instantaneous vicious lethality and yet, she did not fear him at all.

An image of Chester sprung to mind, her constant childhood companion, a bright orange stuffed rabbit who had come in an Easter basket one year when Dani was about four. Almost all children have a favorite something, be it blanket, toy or animal, for Dani it was Chester. She had him for years, in truth, he still occupied a shelf high in her room at home – her parent's home, a place she hadn't lived in ten years.

Chester was tattered and battered, even melted from a misadventure involving playing hide and seek in a lamp shade that proved too much for her furry friend. Her father complained he was ugly and burnt, but Dani refused to toss him aside for a new one. She'd always been like that, she realized. She saw the worth in the dark horse, the damaged, unpopular or unsympathetic. She rooted for the underdog, always had and always would.

Dani knew she loved Charlie and what was strangest for her is that all they'd done so far was kiss and sleep together and by that she meant just "sleep". He'd never even gotten to second base because of her injury and yet, she was certain he loved her too. It wasn't entirely innocent, but for now it was chaste and unusual for her, but then nothing about Charlie was ordinary, commonplace or usual. He lay there just holding her and Dani had no desire to be anywhere else, with anyone else and for the first time in her adult life couldn't imagine wanting anything more than to just be held by Charlie Crews.

She remembered all those years ago, going to sleep over's at friends and the thrill and excitement of new friends, places and adventures. She also remembered the peace and ease of wrapping her small arms around Chester and breathing in his own unique smell when she returned home. Chester was her touchstone as a child, the thing necessary to rest easily and sleep without bad dreams. Charlie was that to her now.

She thought about the many ways Chester and Charlie were alike beside the orange hair. They were battered, burnt and beaten up, but still her favorite and she wouldn't give either of them up for all the money in the world. He was hers now, just like Chester all those years ago. He was her broken spirit, her tarnished knight in squeaky armor beating back the demons with his Zen. He would never disappoint her, never betray her, never let someone harm her, never stop loving her and Dani knew this deep in her soul.

At that moment she realized, Kevin Tidwell didn't matter – Charlie Crews did.


	17. Chapter 17 His & Hers Fears

His and Hers Fears….

Charlie was dreaming, he knew it but he couldn't stop it. This was always the way they began, it was dark and he was alone, when the demons came. It was dark, he could feel them there waiting for him in it, armed with shivs or maybe if he was lucky just fists and feet.

They would strike at him suddenly and he'd feel the air forced from his lungs as he hit the floor, and then the beating, punching and kicking would start. If they pinned him faced down he couldn't even fight back. He was under water; well below the surface, so deep even sunlight couldn't reach him. He couldn't breathe, he could barely move.

He wriggled and resisted and then gentle hands stilled him with patience and a calm soothing voice. There were no curses or threats, there was only his partner's voice calling him back. "Crews" she kept saying. That was him, he had a name, he was not a number, then the language that brought him to the surface "Charlie, come back to me." But it wasn't his wife's voice - it was Dani's. She was there and she was holding him, his head on her chest and her hands in his hair, on his back, soothing him, holding him.

"Charlie, come on. You're scaring me here. Talk to me." Dani said in a voice softer and gentler than he'd believed imaginable coming from her. She spoke to him they way you would a small child or a wild animal, with a calm, even tone, but when that didn't get through he heard her voice break. "Crews dammit" she swore softly "please Charlie come back to me." She pleaded.

"Reese?" his voice croaked. Charlie felt like he'd swallowed a bucket of sand.

"Shhhh" was all she said; holding him and Charlie's muscles slowly untensed and held her back. He could hear her heartbeat, lulling him into a deep sleep. He was safe here with Dani. She buoyed him and held on, with her at his side Charlie felt himself float on the surface and not slip beneath it.

Dani lay still holding her partner. He held her like she would break and yet he released in her pent up energy and desire unlike anything or anyone she'd ever known. Charlie could make her feel so many things, but everything she felt for him, whether it was fear, anger or concern, rage, lust or love she felt it more intensely than she'd felt anywhere else in her life. He was like some kind of fantastic new drug that made everything taste better, feel better, smell better – and it scared the shit out her.

Dani knew the draw of drugs, the haze and the ultimate crash from the pinnacle of euphoria to the depths of its darkness. She understood demons because they surrounded her, spoke to her, hoarse whispers coaching her and encouraging her. One more high, one more time and then we'll let you go – but they never let you go. They held you with an unbreakable, thin, sometimes-invisible leash, but they always owned you – they knew it and you knew it. There was no such thing as a former alcoholic or drug user, there were only those out of practice, because once you were in, you were in for good. It was the reason she resisted the pain meds so stubbornly.

Dani did not realize those demons also visited Charlie Crews, but she could see now they did. And she could see they were as real to him as they were to her, but she also knew she could bring him back. He listened to the sound of her voice and he recognized her. He scared her in a way she thought was almost impossible, because at that moment, she was more concerned for him than for herself. Dani began to appreciate the depth of her love of, affection for and her unplanned, but strong connection to the fair skinned man who held her as though she might break.

He was strong in the sunlight, but in the dark he lost some of his power. But Dani knew the dark, she liked the dark, she lived there – it no longer scared her. She drew strength from it. She realized that perhaps only standing back to back in the darkness; the two of them together could hold their respective fears at bay.

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When Charlie woke, he knew he'd had a nightmare, the sort that typically ended sleep for him, but he returned to sleep because of the presence and security of the woman at his side, with her arm draped across his chest. He stroked her hair and kissed her head gently, immensely grateful for the simple blessing of her presence. He didn't feel self conscious about the nightmare, he knew the darkness visited Dani too. She understood that facet of his psyche better than most, her young life was pock marked like a minefield with her own personal and professional disasters.

He hoped the anger she felt the night before abated but knew that although she might have cooled off, she would not let go. The woman was tenacious, like a bulldog and it was one of the things that made her such a good cop. Charlie hoped he never found a way to make Reese really mad at him, because her fury was awe inspiring and all that hamstrung with a serious injury. He imagined a healthy Dani Reese could kill with a look and raze whole cities to the ground, the thought of which made him chuckle and his laughter woke Dani.

She shifted her chin on his chest and locked eyes with him as she blinked awake. _Jesus she takes my breath away_ Charlie thought. "I like this wake up better than last night's" she smiled at him.

"Yeah" he said apologetically. "Sometimes I have bad nights"

"Me too" she said as her eyebrows deepened into a fierce, pained, faraway look.

"Hey" Charlie touched her head lightly "Where'd you go?"

"Huh?" she said returning her eyes to him. "Oh….somewhere in the past, ancient history."

"There is no past remember? No future either…" he began, but was cut off as Dani clamped a hand over his mouth. Charlie smiled against her hand and playfully nipped at her palm with his teeth.

Dani's eye's widened at his gesture and he noticed little flecks of gold hidden in the depths of her dark eyes. He unconsciously swept her hair aside to get a better look at the secrets hidden there. The gesture was at once tender and intimate. The temperature in the room shot up a few degrees as the sexual tension they'd sublimated in favor of this four day, almost entirely chaste, sleepover snuck back into things.

Charlie thought he'd shown remarkable restraint, considering how he felt about his bedmate. But this was too much for him and his eyes sparked with the heat of the attraction he felt to his partner. He watched as her eyes dilated involuntarily and her breath quickened, she licked her lips and bit the bottom one. Suddenly, Charlie wanted nothing more than to put his lips on hers, but he was disadvantaged by their body position. She'd have to come to him.

"Drive the car, Reese" he coaxed her gently. She smiled understanding his want mirrored hers and his invitation.

"Thought you wanted to drive, Charlie?" she teased lightly as she moved to kiss him.

"Can't…." he whispered across her lips "my hands are full" he said reaching down to hold her against him. She smiled as she kissed him. Charlie was playful, but sensitive, gentle but knew all the right spots as his hands roamed over her, stroking her skin and igniting fires all over her body.

She became lost in the sensation of kissing him, time ceased to exist and all conscious thought vanished. Dani had a fleeting thought this was what Charlie meant when he talked about being "in the moment" and it was enough to take her out of it. They broke to her frowning and Charlie asked her perplexed "am I doing something wrong?"

"No" she laughed. "This is silly, but…." She bit her lip, which was rapidly becoming one of Charlie's favorite nervous behaviors.

"What?" he nosed his face into her neck and laved the skin along her collarbone. "Tell me, honey" he coached.

"It's nothing" she said firmly, causing him to pull back and look her in the eye.

"Reese? It's not nothing, because if you say it's not – then it usually is –something. Also there can't be nothing…." Charlie told her and again she stopped him with her hand against his lips.

"Okay…it's just…just now? when we were kissing? Time sorted stopped and I can't recall thinking about anything, I was just there, okay?" she said somewhat gruffly, ashamed of admitting her moment of Zen was there with him.

Charlie's smile could have outshone the sun. "You know what you're talking about right?" She nodded.

"Kissing can be Zen?" He beamed at her all lightness and fun. He was like a fever you caught and couldn't shake she thought.

"It beats the hell out of meditation" she teased lightly "Was this what you meant when you'd show me something to help me get better?" she demurred.

"Uh-huh" he smiled "told ya you'd like it" his tone was teasing yet seductive. Dani decided she liked playful Charlie just fine. His blue eyes sparkled in the morning sun and he winked at her before dipping his head to catch her bottom lip in his teeth as he'd wanted to do from the start.

Their playful kissing twisted and became very personal, very deep and very heated. Charlie knew he was seriously wound up and he could feel Dani was too, but he heard her breathing hitch as she tried to do more than her body would permit. Charlie stopped, placing a finger across her lips as they broke, with a promise "soon, honey, soon... you're gonna be well enough for this and then we'll finish this." His promise came with a smoldering look and intensity that both frightened and excited her.

She sighed heavily and acquiesced knowing she was not well enough for what she wanted …yet. And what she wanted was Charlie Crews. But for now, she'd have to settle for a shower and breakfast. A cold shower....

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After a shower, Dani sat sipping coffee and looking out the glass patio doors to the pool and the city below, but Charlie could tell she wasn't looking at all. She was seeing something internal, deciding something alone that effected them both. He knew there were still a lot of dark corners and hidden alcoves in the house of Dani Reese, but he left her alone with her thoughts until she shook her head and returned to him. He smiled and she returned his gesture.

"So where would you like to go today?" Charlie asked gathering their breakfast dishes "The beach? The mountains maybe? Or just drive to wine country and look at the green fields?" he asked still smiling.

"The station" she replied flatly.

Charlie paled. She meant to have it out with Tidwell and nothing was going to stop her. Dani was determined to confront their Captain, her former lover and potential new enemy, as painful as that might be. Neither the night nor his morning distraction had pulled her off task, but Charlie would not let her go alone, he never leave her alone again he vowed to himself. It had been a long night and it promised to be a still longer day, if his headstrong, stubborn young partner had anything to say about it.


	18. Chapter 18 Skulking & Flying

**Skulking and Flying…**

Kevin Tidwell was surprised when his cell phone buzzed in his pocket. He quickly closed the file he'd been perusing on the Bank of LA robbery and looked around the bay to see if anyone was watching him, before looking at the caller id – "Crews" it read_. Great_ he thought, _just great_.

Tidwell sighed heavily and opened the phone prepared to do battle with the tall red haired man, who had made it known he intended to make Dani Reese his own. But Tidwell was pleasantly surprised to hear Dani Reese's voice come back to him through the phone line. She sounded tense, stretched thin and a touch angry, but she wanted to see him. Not in the office she'd said, asking him instead to meet her in the parking garage in twenty minutes.

She was coming here to see him, he thought excitedly. He checked his look in the glass of his office. _Not bad, Tidwell's looking pretty good today_ he thought. He still held out hope that Crews might annoy her as much as she said he did, although he believed much of what she complained about regarding Crews were things she secretly became accustomed to and missed.

It annoyed him to no end when she was working with the FBI, how much and how often Crews became the subject of their conversation. He hardly ever got to see her and when they did, no more than an hour into their "time" Crews would come up. He either called her or she him or he came up in conversation. It was when he first realized Dani was far more attached to, connected to, Crews than either of them were willing to admit. Tidwell had no idea why "they" felt it was so important to get Reese assigned to the FBI, but it had damned near killed her - Roman, he thought darkly - fucking miscreant.

"I'm taking an early lunch, got some personal business to attend to, I'll be off my cell for a couple hours" he announced to no one in particular and then climbed onto the elevator. It was nearing 10AM and the parking structure would still be cool and quiet. The next shift change was a 4PM and they were guaranteed silence and privacy. Tidwell foolishly thought this was to his benefit; he had no idea how very wrong he was.

Dani was leaning along side of Crews' Maserati resting her legs and back against the sloping long line of the dark car. She looked well, her color was back and her hair pulled back in a ponytail. She wore LAPD sweats top and bottom, but she didn't smile as he approached, and he missed a step noticing.

"Hey babe" he said grinning.

"Don't call me that" Dani returned her dark eyes glittering, but no smile on her face or in her voice.

"I see Crews' car, so where's Crews?" he asked wanting to confirm they were alone. He leaned close and kissed her, but she did not kiss him back and seemed cold and aloof.

"You need to worry less about Crews and more about me" she warned.

He laughed. His easy laugh really pissed Dani off. The rage in her face was unmistakable. "You think setting me up? Almost getting me killed is funny?"

"What are you talking about?" he opened his arms in a gesture meant to convey he was no threat and she was angry for no reason. _Never show a pissed off former lover your groin unobstructed, it's just too tempting a target_ she thought raising a knee and doubling him over from the pain. _Gratifying, not very Zen, but that felt good_ she thought knowing Charlie wouldn't approve.

"Hey" he said pained. "What the fuck, Dani?" he grimaced holding his nuts.

His pain made him miss the scoff of laughter from Charlie Crews standing on the other side of the row of car, leaning lightly against a concrete abutment, watching the exchange closely and backing up his partner.

"Why'd you send me to the FBI, Kevin? To give them information on Crews? Because all they ever asked me about was Crews" she taunted.

"They wanted a Detective, babe. I thought it would be good for you" he lied.

"No. No you didn't send them a Detective - you sent them me - Crews' partner and that's no coincidence" she said firmly through gritted teeth. "You came here and immediately began to pursue me, why? It started as soon as you got here. Lots of pretty girls in LA, why me?"

"Look, I don't know what he told you…." Tidwell started.

"This isn't about him. This is about you and me." She interrupted. "Don't make this about him."

"It's always about him, Dani. Isn't it?" He said steadily raising his voice.

"Even when you're with me – you're with him. You may not see it, but I see it, I see they way he looks at you. I see how connected you are to him. Christ the only place I seem to be able to make you forget about Charlie Crews is in bed." He finished shouting, like her father shouted at her. Dani's eyes darkened and narrowed.

Charlie pushed off the wall and stood erect, concerned, but Reese brushed him off with gesture that went unnoticed by their Captain.

Dani looked down and refocused. She was blindingly angry, but she had long since changed her intent from personal gratification to information gathering. She was maturing from the mercurial, always angry young officer to the seasoned, cold, calculating, razor sharp Detective.

Charlie could see the transition, like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon. He couldn't know that his love and support gave her the confidence to check her anger in favor of the knowledge they needed.

Dani's eyes flicked to him across the garage, connecting, drawing strength and he watched her poise return. In that moment, he saw the grace, elegance and regality of her mother, Roya. This woman was incredible he realized and she would only get better; he was so very proud of her.

"Tell me why you did it." she said flatly.

"Did what? Fall in love with you? Cause I'm wondering myself right now…" he laughed off her query.

"Don't say that. Don't lie" she countered "Just answer the question"

"I didn't do anything, except see a pretty girl who I liked and I thought liked me. We have fun together don't we babe? Come'on Tidwell knows how to make you feel good, doesn't he?" he tried to tease her mood away with his levity.

Dani was unmoved. "We're through. You will never touch me again."

Her comment flipped a switch in Tidwell, to a dark place she didn't know he had. He grabbed her and slammed her up against the car. "We're over when I say we are babe. I know you and your little vodka habit. I know how you struggle, Dani."

Dani hissed as her back impacted the car. "You working the program, Detective? You wanna stay a Detective? You'll be a little nicer to your Captain" he threatened darkly. Dani gathered herself for a response she never got to deliver. Tidwell was suddenly just gone.

Charlie crossed the distance in a blinding flash of movement that took Dani and Tidwell both by surprise. His fierce anger propelled him across the distance at incredible speed, as Crews lifted the Captain off his feet by the throat, directing him toward the short concrete wall near the front of the car. Tidwell slammed into the three foot wall with a grunt and as his feet came up off the pavement, as Crews stepped to the side and forced the man over the wall.

"Crews" Dani barked, stopping her partner from throwing the Captain over the wall and thirty feet to his probable death. Tidwell grasped blindly, first for a handhold and then for his throat, as Crews squeezed his trachea and blackness edged into his vision as his oxygen levels plummeted.

"Crews" Dani said sharply again. "Put him down" she said in a more measured tone.

Charlie Crews looked ready to kill and he pretty much was all Tidwell could see. Tidwell could make out a row of white teeth, gritted together and registered a deep growl from the man dangling him over the street below. He could make out street noises below and the smell of Dani's shampoo came to him as she walked close to her partner.

"Charlie? He's not worth it" she said more softly. She grasped her partner's arm and again instructed him "Let him go". Tidwell's buttocks rested on the wall effectively making him teeter like a plank of wood on a child's playground. The only thing keeping him from plunging to his death was Crews' vice like grip on his neck.

But Crews was unconvinced, darkness lapped at his soul again in those moments when Tidwell grasped Reese by her arms and pushed her against the car. He wanted to kill the man he was holding by the throat, he wanted him dead for making Reese hurt. No one hurt Dani Reese.

"Charlie? Please… Don't" she whispered and he could hear fear edge into her voice.

Fear of him or for him, he was not sure, but fear in Dani Reese was not something he could bear. He pulled the man back from the brink, stood him on his feet and released him.

Tidwell gasped for breath, wheezing, doubled over and fumbling with his collar. Charlie waited until the Captain collected himself enough to stand upright before he hit him hard in the solar plexus, doubling the man over again.

Crews leaned closed and said in a voice barely above a whisper. "Listen close Captain. If you ever touch her again…you'll just disappear. They'll never find enough of you to identify". When Tidwell turned his head to look at him, Charlie struck a punishing blow to the man's face, spinning him into the side the Maserati hard enough to dent the fender and blood began to trickle from Tidwell's mouth.

Dani was close now, they could both feel her, but she was controlled, restrained. "Tell me why you did it" she demanded.

"I got kids" he admitted tearing up from the pain and fear. "Back home in New York… I got kids. I did something stupid and they own me. I can't go to jail, I got kids." He cried. "I never meant to hurt you Dani. You gotta believe me. I was just supposed to get to you – then they could use you - to get to Crews."

"Who are they? And what do they want with Crews?" she leaned down to ask him.

"I don't know" Tidwell blubbered "I swear on my kids I don't know" he vowed.

She straightened "he doesn't know, he would have told us, he's scared to death" she remarked to her partner. Charlie was still battling his rage and holding back his personal demons who strained at their chains.

"Crews" she barked. He stood in front of her, countenance dark, eyes focused on Tidwell clenching and unclenching his fists. "Crews" she spoke to him again with no effect. "Charlie" she said softly, facing him and placing her small hands on his. He looked down and she said even more softly "Crews? You here?"

Charlie nodded, curtly. "Look at me Charlie" she demanded and watched as his eyes changed slowly returning to the blue she knew and loved. "You here?"

This time he rasped a coarse "Yes" in response.

"Come'on Tiger, let's get you home before you get arrested." She smiled at him. "I'll drive." She offered. Crews handed her the keys and walked to the passenger side of the car.

"Get off my car" Dani said darkly to their Captain who was still on his knees beside the car. She climbed inside the car stiffly, started the engine and put it into reverse, before reaching across the divide to grasp Crews hand and pull it into her lap.

"You're no good to me in jail, Charlie. Don't do that anymore, okay?" she cautioned.

Crews was not certain he could speak, but he cleared his throat to try. "Some times I'm not a cop, some times I'm not a good guy, Dani".

"I know Charlie, I know, but you're my guy." She promised him. "Just concentrate on staying here with me, now - being my guy. You can do that can't you Charlie." She asked.

Dani's unintentional use of Zen caused him to turn in his seat and look at her.

"What?" she asked slightly amused. Charlie had the sneaking suspicion she knew when she said something Zen and she did it on purpose.

"Yeah" he said quietly "I can do that" and after a moment added "Your car?"

"Yes, Crews - they are all my cars." She arched an eyebrow at him daring him to contradict her.

"Whatever you say honey" he squeezed their conjoined hands. Dani smiled at him and Charlie felt himself relax. She was the world to him, she could have everything else - as long as he could have her.


	19. Chapter 19 The Invitation

The Invitation……

About a week after the incident with Tidwell, which Reese obstinately refused to discuss further, Charlie came back from the market to find Dani in a tense discussion on her cell. He could tell from the degree to which her eyebrows dove inward and her low tone that it was serious. As he juggled the bags full of fruit settling them on the marble counter top, his interest peaked, he questioned with his eyebrows and silently mouthed the question "who is it?"

Dani simply shook her head and turned away from him, which annoyed Charlie greatly.

_Stubborn, stubborn woman_ he thought ruefully shaking his head, abandoning the groceries and walking to her side.

It was then he realized that he could not make out what she was saying by listening or watching her lips because she was speaking Farsi. _Her mother_ he thought and noticeably relaxed. Dani shot him an annoyed look at the intrusion, but he stood his ground smiling brightly and remaining near her, as solid as a piece of furniture.

She concluded the call and looked up at him. "Don't crowd me Crews" she groused.

He said nothing, but reached down and squeezed her shoulder. She looked up at him and the gentleness in his eyes eased her anger. She was healing, but the pain still dogged her and it manifested itself in anger – anger came easily for Dani. Peace would be harder, but she was learning and growing stronger everyday. She'd learned to put away physical pain, by concentrating, emotional pain would be tougher, take longer, but he believed there was nothing Dani Reese could not do.

Charlie stroked her hair and lightly touched the side of her face, but said nothing. He waited for her – for Dani. She was still Reese now. Some times she just needed time - he knew this instinctively.

She relaxed and her annoyance faded, as his touch became a caress, and he simply watched her, patiently waiting. She reached up and held onto the back of his hand, to still it. She pressed her cheek into his palm and he smiled again. Then Dani was there, smiling shyly, his Dani - "I'm sorry, I'm not mad at you."

"I know" was all he said.

Charlie simply resumed waiting, quietly, supporting her - lending her strength and calm, by his simple presence, but not asking for anything from her. Dani had just begun to appreciate the peacefulness Crews could maintain when he wanted to. Far from being restless, like her, or eternally talkative, as she'd previously assumed; he was capable of great periods of silence, during which he did little more than sit still. But he was almost always connected to her, sometimes with a hand on hers or often just his eyes. He was capable of such blindingly fast, viciousness and such utter compassion and peace; he often seemed like two different men inhabiting the same body. _He'd need that patience for where they were going next,_ she thought.

"My mother" she sighed, "My mother insists that we come for dinner" she admitted the cause for her consternation.

"I can take you anywhere you want to go" he began and then changed when her look darkened, "or…or you can drive yourself. You are getting along pretty good now. The doc seems to think you are healing nicely" he stumbled past the scowl on her face, looking for the right combination of words to erase it.

"No, Crews" she said, once again annoyed "she wants 'us' to come to dinner. As in - you and me – together" she highlighted the problem for him.

"And you don't want to?" he guessed.

"I….I…don't know what to think. My parents….my father....is very hard on the men I date. And as we all know, you and my father aren't exactly starting off on neutral ground. This could be painful – for everyone." She confessed her fears to him.

"No, honey. It'll be fine. I'll be on my best behavior. Scout's honor" he held up his fingers smiling "I'll even wear my napkin in my shirt and eat with a fork" he grinned, trying to convince her he could be nice. Charlie wondered with all the dark things she'd seen him do – if Dani feared him - and was afraid for her family.

"I'm not worried about you" she said, sounding annoyed. "And my mother clearly adores you" she said with raised eyebrows "although I'm not sure what that's about. But my father…" she trailed off, without finishing the thought.

"He loves you, Dani. He loves your mother and we will be fine – I can handle this" he told her, sure of his ability to keep from fighting with Dani's temperamental father.

She cocked her head to the side and looked hard at her partner, lover and perhaps more.

"That's right you guys had beers" she said wryly "now you can just retire to the family room and watch football like a couple of buddies" she countered, letting the unfinished conversation from a week ago bubble to the surface again.

"Since when did you become the defender in chief of my father?" she questioned with a hard look.

"Reese. I don't want to fight with you, okay? I know you're spoiling for a fight, but it won't be with me." He coached.

Charlie knew she was scared from the way she nervously chewed her bottom lip and the pain wore on her. She was still tired, weaker than she'd like, and toughing out the pain through the rehab of her injury. She seemed to almost enjoy punishing herself, a trait that troubled Charlie to no end.

The woman could face down armed robbers, but still feared her father's reaction. She was so fascinatingly complex, he reasoned. Beneath her tough exterior, lurked a shy little girl, who adored her father and just wanted to please him. Dating Charlie Crews would not please Jack Reese and she knew it.

"When?" he asked softly, while she thought quietly in the background. He could see the possible bad outcomes filing through her brain and the faraway look in her eyes told him there was still more he didn't know about her.

"When what?" she said confused, as he intruded on her thoughts.

"Dinner" he reminded.

"Oh" she said distractedly, her scowl returning "Sunday"

"That soon" Charlie said subconsciously looking at his watch, a matter of hours, he thought as he swallowed hard. He was more anxious about the event than he wanted to let on. It's a big thing meeting your girlfriend's parents. Bigger when the first time her mother laid eyes on you – you were soaked in her daughter's blood, a daughter you'd let get hurt, he thought. Jack was almost easier – pure unadulterated hate - he got.

Dani's mother made him nervous in the same way she did. He wanted Roya to like him, to trust him, to trust him with her only daughter. Plus Charlie knew Dani's mother ran their family. Jack Reese was one tough old bastard, but that family revolved around Dani's mother, the beautiful, poised, elegant and regal woman was unerringly the pivot point of Reese's family. That's the one he needed to win with.

Jack was just an annoyance, no one would ever be good enough for his little girl in Jack Reese's mind – Charlie was pretty certain the man was right.


	20. Chapter 20 Sunday Dinner

"You ready?" he checked with his partner. She nodded tersely and looked as nervous as he felt.

Charlie felt a bit naked in just his street clothes. Although he thought he looked presentable in a pair of navy slacks and a light tan v-neck sweater, Charlie realized they'd prepared more for dinner with Dani's parents - than for half the search warrants they'd served together. Only this time, they wouldn't have the benefit of bulletproof vests, their respective side arms and couldn't rely on the SWAT Team for backup. He was suddenly glad he wasn't wearing a shirt with a collar, knowing it would feel tight and restricting.

They rode in awkward silence to her parent's house on a street in a quiet neighborhood where sunlight shone through the old growth trees, dappling everything in inconsistent shades of light and dark. It seemed the sun was as nervous as he, as it hid itself amongst the big shade trees.

Charlie stopped once on the way to pick up flowers for Roya, Dani simply arched an eyebrow at him, but said nothing. "Hey, it couldn't hurt right?" he offered. She smiled tightly in response, but it seemed forced. They both just needed to relax, so as they pulled to the curb outside the Reese home and exited the car, Charlie took Dani's hand and tugged her down the sidewalk.

"Where are we going?" she fought him with words, while her body followed to the curb and behind an oak tree whose girth swallowed them both.

"I just need a moment okay?" he admitted.

"And you need me? For this - moment?" She questioned emphasizing his Zen word.

"Yeah, Reese. I kinda do" he admitted and then pushed her gently against the tree's massive trunk. "I need you for this" he said leaning to deliver a searing kiss, pinning her hands to her sides.

They broke breathless, but still wanted more, it was in both their eyes, but Dani struggled with it. "Crews" she hissed "it's Sunday afternoon in broad daylight in front of my parents house" she warned in a low tone.

"I still want you. Now, next week, next month, next year, maybe even in the next life - if you believe in that sort of thing" he whispered leaning impossibly close and releasing her hands and placing his over her shoulder on the tree trunk. She could escape if she wanted, but Dani didn't want to. What she wanted was Charlie.

She reached for him, pulling him closer still until there was no daylight between them. "You are a dangerous man, Crews" she laughed at him, at them. "My father catches you doing this…" she teased.

"Doing what? I'm just admiring this mighty oak tree" he whispered along her throat as he swept her hair back to gain access to the tight lean muscles of her neck. "It's such a beautiful tree" he said distractedly.

"Beautiful tree, my…" she began, but never finished as he captured her lips again and this time her hands wound around his back, pulling him tightly against her. Suddenly, Charlie thought the sweater might not have been such a good idea as his body temperature shot through the roof. Dani was always a good kisser, but the added element of danger did wonderful things to her tongue and her small lithe body moved against his seductively.

He forced himself away, licked his lips hungrily and grabbed her by the hand again. "Okay, that's enough of that - for now" he growled his eyes a curious storm cloud blue.

"Wait" she said, he paused as she tugged against his hand. "Lipstick" she said.

Charlie looked chagrinned as he pulled a handkerchief from his back pocket and wiped his face. "Did I get it?" he showed her both sides of his face.

"Not like you're going to when we get home, Mister" she grinned.

Charlie stopped at the car to retrieve Roya's flowers and they walked to the front door with barely contained smiles.

Unbeknownst to him, Roya Reese watched the entire episode from her kitchen window, except the part behind the tree, which could quite imagine after their emergence and changed demeanor. It seemed her daughter had made her difficult choice and was down to just one suitor – it just happened to be the one her husband, Jack Reese loathed.

*************************************************************************************************

After the pleasantries, Dani retreated with her mother to the kitchen to put the flowers in water, ostensibly, because Charlie just couldn't envision his partner helping out with the cooking. The Dani Reese he knew - lived on takeout and could barely make toast. Although he desperately wanted to follow her into the kitchen, he restrained himself and remained standing in the Reese family living room, rocking nervously on his heels.

"You want a beer?" Jack offered.

"Sure" Charlie exhaled "unless you got something stronger" he smiled tightly.

"Too rich for my blood, that scotch you drink Crews. Beer will just have to do" Jack shot back at him.

"Beer's fine" Charlie offered. Jack disappeared into the kitchen. Charlie folded his arms across his chest so he'd have something to do with his hands, instead of stuffing them in his pocket like he'd normally do.

"Geez, the last time I was this nervous was asking Jen's dad for permission to marry her" he spoke under his breath to himself and then - as though the logical conclusion had just occurred to him – cocking his head to the side, Charlie considering himself married to Reese and part of her family. Interesting….he mused…possible? He wondered.

Jack returned carrying two Corona's one with lime. "Here. My daughter says you'd want it like this" he said darkly, clearly not pleased that she was intimate with Crews' likes and dislikes.

Crews drank a long pull from the bottle and looked around with really nothing to say to the man who was partner's father – nothing nice to say anyway. He busied himself examining the pictures on the mantle. One was of a much younger smiling Jack Reese in LAPD navy blue – the rest were of Dani. Dani on a pony when she was about six with a ponytail and a ribbon in her hair; Dani on a bicycle with a gap toothed grin looking all of about ten years old; Dani in her police uniform from the Academy; and one of their family in happier times Dani perched on her father's shoulders in a Little League uniform, all of them smiling. _This was what $18 million dollars did to a family, it made them into suspicious strangers_ he thought darkly.

"She was a cute kid" Jack offered gruffly.

"Yeah" Charlie wheeled to lock eyes with Jack Reese. "I told her that too" Charlie said brightly.

"Roya had to stop putting ribbons in her hair, right after that photo." Jack gestured at the mantle "Dani hated them. She'd pulled them out hair and all" he recalled of his obstinate young daughter. "She was one stubborn, willful, headstrong girl" Jack said somewhat proudly.

"So…not that much has changed?" Charlie offered somewhat conspiratorially. Jack almost smiled - if Charlie hadn't been looking at him he'd have missed it.

"Crews you didn't tell her about our talk the other night?" Jack prodded.

"She knows Jack" Charlie leveled his eyes at the man "about the Bank"

"Not the boy?" Jack whispered "Not about David"

_So his name was David, the man who stole Dani's faith from her_ he thought. He shook his head. "I won't tell her because it will only cause her pain" he said plainly. "but you Jack? You need to find a way to. If she learns from anybody but you, she won't forgive you" Charlie warned.

Jack return the young man's look darkly, but knew Crews was right.

Dani and Roya emerged from the kitchen with food saving Charlie and Jack from having to find something else to talk about. They all walked uncomfortably to the dining room which contained a single rectangular Queen Anne cherry wooden dining room table, a piece of furniture Charlie remembered again not wanting to have until Rachel explained to him – it was just a piece of useful furniture.

Roya Reese was a very smart woman, a wise woman he realized, as he looked at how she'd set her table. Rather than place someone at the head of the table, she'd set two places on each side, putting them together - allied with their mate on the one side - opposite their mirrors on the other. It was ingenious he thought and smiled at her appreciatively. Roya was impressed he noticed her efforts and the reason behind them, as they shared an unspoken look. Both men pulled out their the ladies chairs, prompting another shared but quizzical look between Jack Reese and Charlie. Shaking their heads both men sat down, awkwardly and silently.

Charlie asked his hostess "is it okay for me to have beer at your dinner table?"

Roya inclined her head in a nod to his deference and replied "Of course, Mr. Crews".

"Charlie. Please?" he implored with a smile. Roya smiled back and both Jack and Dani rolled their eyes. The simultaneous gesture demonstrating for all, just how much alike father and daughter were. After a tense moment, nervous laughter erupted around the table, making even Jack and Dani grin slightly.

Charlie reached for Dani's hand under the table, only to find her reaching for him. Carefully school features showed no indication of their link, but he squeezed her hand tightly and they made it through dinner.

After polite somewhat forced dinner conversation, and a short disagreement in which it was decided Dani would not be doing dishes, based on her healing injury, Jack and Roya retreated to the kitchen to wash and dry the dishes. Charlie found this kind of sweet, but the net effect was that it left him and Dani alone for period of time, before they felt it was reasonable for them to leave.

"So….. " Charlie said "Show me your room?" he asked. Dani rolled her eyes again.

"What? You're not afraid to show me your room are you, sweetheart? All those teenage boy heartthrob posters, hearts and stuffed animals going to embarrass you?" he teased. Dani snorted, grabbing his hand and dragging him down the hallway, moving far faster than an injured woman a foot shorter than him should be able to.

As door to her room swung open and Charlie stepped into Dani's youth. The first thing he noticed was a large window covered in sun catchers, which lit the room in a number of bright colors. "Did you make all those?" he asked. She just nodded, releasing his hand and sitting down stiffly on her bed.

The bed was covered with a quilt and a couple throw pillows with her name on them. There were a couple posters of surfers and skateboarders, along with a nice vintage skateboard standing in the corner of the room. Charlie did a 360 degree turn taking in a shelf about a foot from the ceiling holding various and sundry trophies and ribbons from school and league play and nestled high on the shelf behind and above her bed was a bedraggled orangish faded stuffed bunny rabbit with a burnt and melted right ear.

"Is that?" Charlie gestured above and behind Dani "the infamous Chester".

"Yup" Dani popped back from her bed. She sat leaning back with her arms behind her and he could see the teenage Dani, with attitude in abundance, occupying this room.

"So….. did you ever bring boys here?" he teased.

"You're kidding right? Have you met my father? No teenage boy would set foot in this yard, much less inside the house and definitely not ever this room" she smiled at him.

The look in Charlie's eyes was mischievous and it made her pale considering what he was probably thinking. "I don't know what you're thinking…." she warned.

"Yes, you do" he said with a sly smile on his face and danger in his tone.

"Charlie" she warned, as he knelt before her and ran his hands up her thighs over the jeans managing to set her skin on fire through fabric. Her breath caught as he moved in close and put his mouth to her collarbone and hummed "Hmmm".

"We can't….my parents are just down the hall" she protested weakly, putting her hands on his shoulders. First she was protesting and then she was kissing him, his hands were in her hair and she moaned into his mouth. Charlie grabbed Dani's hips and pulled her towards him. The temperature in the room soared.

Foot steps sounded in the hallway and Dani ducked her head to break Charlie's kiss. He sat back on his heels rising with an ease she envied and backed himself against the opposite wall, trying to calm his breathing.

"Ah, there you are" Roya Reese stepped into the room and noticed the distance between them – she knew instantly what they'd been doing "see that your father does not catch you" she said coldly to Dani, but she winked at Charlie on the way out of the room – making him swallow hard.

"Ready to go home?" Charlie asked her reaching for his partner's hand. She nodded and allowed him to help her up.

They said their goodbyes. Roya hugged Charlie first, then her daughter, whispering something in Farsi that made Dani blush. Jack stiffly shook Charlie's hand with a very displeased look on his face and then turned to Dani. He tucked a stray hair behind her ear, kissed her on the forehead and grumbled "stay out of trouble kid" gruffly. Dani smirked at him, earning her what passed for a smile from Jack.

Charlie took Dani's hand again as soon as the door shut behind them, walking her to the car. "That was fun, right? Dinner with your folks?" Charlie asked Dani putting her in the car.

"Fun? You need to have your head examined Charlie" she groused.

"I liked your room." He teased. "Never would have figured you for a skate rat, Reese. But it figures" he said softly.

"Huh?" she said quizzically "how does it figure?"

"Well you are balanced, graceful and very tough" he admitted somewhat embarrassed to heap platitudes on his beautiful partner. She said nothing in response and looked a tiny bit embarrassed before looking away and smiling out the window.

"I couldn't wait to get out of here, away from them, you know?" she said wistfully.

"Now you miss them?" Charlie offered.

"I miss how it used to be. I miss not knowing that bad things were out there, that every day one of us could just..." she stopped short, but Charlie understood.

"That was sweet. You and your dad" he added changing the subject and giving her the space he knew she needed.

She scoffed her disapproval and looked out her window, smiling slightly.

It had been a good day, a decent, better than expected visit and her lips still burned from Charlie's kiss. Someday they were going to finish that she thought, some day soon.


	21. Chapter 21 The Cardboard Box

**The Cardboard Box…**

Charlie rang the doorbell of his house with a large cardboard box in his hands. The object inside kept shifting from side to side, unbalancing it, moving about and whining. "Shhh" he told the box quietly "you'll ruin the surprise".

Ninety seconds later when she still hadn't answered Charlie balanced the box precariously against his knee and rang the buzzer again.

"Okay, okay, keep your pants on I'm coming" he heard Dani talking to the doorbell, making him smile. _She talked to herself too_ he thought. He wondered suddenly if she also talked to the TV like he did too?

Dani reached the door and opened it to find Charlie Crews standing at his own front door with the large box, hiding his eyes behind his sienna shades and grinning.

"Crews" she said exasperated "why would you ring the doorbell of your own house, one in which you never lock the door anyway?" She sighed at him.

"I have a surprise for you" his grin got impossibly big, causing her to smile uncontrollably in response. There was something irresistible about Charlie's megawatt smiles that made her heart feel bubbly and her insides fizz.

She cocked her head to the side and said wryly "you got me a box, how thoughtful"

"You gonna invite me in?" he asked.

"To your own house? Yeah, sure. Crews come in" she invited her crazy partner in.

"So what's in the box?" she inquired.

"I told you it's a surprise. Not so much an 'it' as a 'him', but…" he stopped as she looked at him with obvious interest.

"You didn't kill Tidwell did you?" she teased. "Cut him up in little pieces and put him in that box?" They joked about it now, but Charlie had come close to murdering the Captain of detectives just a week prior.

"Noooo" he drew out and jostled the box getting it through the door. The occupant protested with a slight whine. "Shhhh" he repeated softly to the box.

"Charlie? What's in the box?" Dani whirled at the noise emanating from the box.

"See for yourself" he tempted her and lowered it so she could access the folded cardboard top. She pulled on the corners folded into each other and the top opened like a flower to reveal a tiny orange occupant.

"It's a dog." She said excitedly.

"No, Reese. It's a puppy." Charlie bubbled. "It's your puppy." He smiled watching her with interest. He'd never bought Reese a gift before, except at Christmas and certainly not a living, breathing gift - he wasn't entirely sure how'd she react.

Reese peered into the box and a quiet, reddish gold, puppy with big brown eyes looked up at her. The pup raised up on it's back legs and tried to climb to her.

"Go on, honey" Charlie coaxed "he likes you."

Reese reached into the box and lifted the puppy up, cradling it to her chest. The pup licked her face immediately, sticking his cold wet nose under the chin and chewing on her hair. "Charlie" she said in a voice that sounded happy.

"No, you can't call him Charlie. That would be too confusing" Crews joked with her.

She looked up at him while the pup licked her neck and face, smiling wryly. "Very funny, Crews".

"Do you like him?" Charlie asked plainly.

"Yes, yes I do" she said her eyes suddenly brimming with tears.

"Hey" he said softly "what is it sweetheart?" concern filling his voice.

"You bought me a dog" she sniffed "I've always wanted a dog Crews. How'd you know?"

"Something your dad said the other night, honey. Shhhh" he told her gathering her and the pup in his embrace and kissing her lightly on the head.

"It's not a dog Reese, it's a puppy." He seemed intent on making the distinction.

"But I have no place for a dog….a puppy" she corrected.

"Yes, you do, sweetheart. You have here." Charlie promised.

Dani looked up at him finally understanding what he was asking. _Make a home with me, be part of my life, invest in our future, it's only a dog but it's a start_ – all spoken with his eyes as Charlie stood uncharacteristically mute.

He held her eyes until the tears brimming in them blinked past her lashes and rolled silently down her cheek and she nodded "yes" to him. Then he kissed her. It was a gentle, sweet and slow kiss, like that first time in the hospital.

The puppy unaccustomed to being ignored licked at their joined faces, causing them both to laugh. Charlie pulled back and kissed the puppy square on the snout surprising it. Dani laughed out loud and it sounded to him like the peal of church bells, a light, joyous noise. "I love you" he told her.

"Me or the dog?" she teased knowing what he meant, but still too self conscious to allow it to be serious yet.

"What say we build her a house out in the backyard?" Charlie addressed his comments to the pup who simply stared at him with a cocked head and returned to Dani's throat.

"Guess we can see who his favorite's going to be" Charlie quipped and then leaned close to them both and whispered "it's okay, she's my favorite too, but she's already spoken for pup" he finished with a grin.

Charlie didn't think he'd ever seen Dani smile so much. She was so very beautiful he thought. She noticed his stare, but did not look away as she might have in the past, Dani pulled him to her and kissed him with equal amounts of passion and playfulness.

"I think I promised you we'd finish something when you were ready, sweetheart" he toyed "let's put the puppy back in the box and go upstairs" he invited and took the pup from Dani, placing him gently back in the box.

He took Dani's hand and led her to the stairwell leading to his bedroom.

The box toppled over with a loud slap as its side hit the marble floor, halting their assent. The puppy tumbled out and ran the best it could on gangly legs to Dani's feet where it whined insistently for her attention. She reached down and picked him up and cradled him once again.

"I don't think he wants to be left alone Charlie" she said sadly.

"Alright pup, you can come too. But the only one putting their tongue on this woman tonight will be me" he said rubbing the pup's stomach.

"We can't keep calling him pup" Dani said thoughtfully.

"I thought we might call him…." Charlie started.

"Chester" they said together. Dani smiled as Charlie put his arm around her waist and they walked together up the curving stairs into their future.

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Jack Reese's cell phone rang while he was tinkering in the garage. He glanced at the number and sighed heavily.

"What?" he answered.

"Hello Jack" the voice said with mirth trickling through the phone. "You should be pleased" the man hinted.

"Oh yeah? Why's that?" Jack questioned snidely. "You get arrested?"

"Your daughter, Jack" the man spoke "weren't you worried about Dani, Jack?"

"What's this about? Has something happened?" Jack questioned sharply – suddenly concerned trouble had befallen his young daughter.

"We met, we decided she could still prove useful Jack" the man's obvious pleasure with himself, making Jack's skin crawl.

"I'm listening" Jack said tersely.

"We know she won't help us. We know you can't control her, but we found another use for her" the man laid it out for Jack – the danger, the minefield, his daughter was walking blindly in.

"Crews obviously cares deeply for her, far more it appears than we'd ever anticipated, even hoped for. He would do anything for your daughter. That makes her useful to us. So…for now, you can stop worrying, as long as she remains Crews' predominant concern, she's safe. We can use that."

Jack said nothing – stunned into silence by life's twists and turns yet again.

"Just thought you'd want to know" the man laughed and ended the call.

The thing Jack feared most, his daughter's link to Crews, their connection - now both imperiled her and kept her safe. He would need to rely on Charlie Crews – now more than ever. He found himself suddenly appreciative of the young red haired man's capacity for violence and viciousness and the hair trigger of transition time for Crews to react to threats to Dani. While Charlie Crews was implacable in most things, when something threatened Dani Reese, the rage and fury that simmered under the surface of the young man's Zen exterior, boiled over. He had an exceedingly low flashpoint when it came to Dani.

Rage was an emotion Jack knew well. He'd heard about the episode between Kevin Tidwell and Charlie Crews over his daughter in the parking garage. Jack had even seen the grainy black and white closed circuit camera footage of the incident, when Crews' fury could not be contained and only Dani kept him from killing their Captain, courtesy of an old partner in the Tech Division. When Jack watched Tidwell put his hands on Dani and shove her into that car, he'd wanted to kill the man himself, but the alacrity and economy of Crews' actions spoke volumes about his ability and willingness to put himself between Dani and anything that might hurt her.

Jack Reese would never like the idea of his daughter being with Charlie Crews, but he had to admit that now, the closer she was to the hard, dark man he knew lurked under the pale skin and light haired detective, the safer she would be.

"They" were right. Crews would do anything for his daughter, kill for her, even die for her, Jack just hoped Charlie Crews was as willing to live for her, as he was to die for her, because Jack knew that losing Crews would break Dani in ways that even time could not fix.

**Author's Note:** _I'm going to leave it here for now. Calling this one finished. Tune in to another story for continuance of this timeline and story arc. Sadly since it seems we won't get a S3 of Life, I've decided to write a future for Charlie and Dani (and Chester). So think of this as not so much an end...as a beginning._

_In future installments, we'll explore more of the conspiracy's dark actors, find out if Tidwell is really one of the bad guys and see if Jack and Charlie can keep Dani out of trouble and I promise bring back Ted. _

_My profound thanks to all the readers and reviewers along the way, you've kept me sane. I read each and every review and if you have questions you want answered in the continuing saga, just drop me an email and I'll see what I can do with it. _


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